Billing code 49255: OmentectomyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical removal of omental tissue when performed as a distinct service, rather than as part of a more comprehensive operation that includes it.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities546 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $751.85 for 49255 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 49255

Omentectomy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
12.25
Total RVUs
22.51
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$751.85

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 49255 → · Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

On this page 9 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 49255 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Billing questions
  9. Sources

What 49255 covers

The surgeon removes omental tissue, the fatty peritoneal apron that hangs from the stomach and overlies abdominal organs. General surgeons and gynecologic oncologists may perform an omentectomy during abdominal surgery for disease involving the omentum, including malignancy. The operative report should identify the tissue removed and the reason for resection, and distinguish this work from a larger procedure that already includes omentectomy.

Report 49255 when the omental resection is separately reportable, not merely an inherent part of a more comprehensive operation. Documentation should describe the operative work and specimen. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 49255 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

49255 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$679.50
Alaska*Unavailable$929.61
ArizonaUnavailable$730.44
ArkansasUnavailable$670.67
AtlantaUnavailable$776.24
AustinUnavailable$756.12
BakersfieldUnavailable$746.01
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$799.08
BeaumontUnavailable$722.83
BrazoriaUnavailable$731.89

49255 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

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49255 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 49255 rate is calculated

Each of 49255’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

How the rate is built · 49255

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 12.25Practice expense 7.40Malpractice 2.86

22.5100 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$751.85

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 49255

49255 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 49255

Omentectomy

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.09/0.81/0.10Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 49255

Omentectomy

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

49255 without 51 · national facility

$751.85

Omentectomy

49255-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$375.93

When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).

When to use modifier 51

49255 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

49255 vs 58956: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 49255
    Omentectomy · 12.25 wRVU
    —
  • 58956
    Ovarian cancer surgery · 22.23 wRVU
    —

How to choose

58956Ovarian cancer surgery
This is a comprehensive operation for ovarian, tubal, or primary peritoneal malignancy that includes omentectomy with other specified procedures. It is not the code for an isolated omentectomy.

49255 billing questions

When should 49255 be reported separately?

Report it when the surgeon performs a distinct omental resection that is not already included in a more comprehensive procedure. The operative note should support the separate work.

Can modifier 50 be used for removal of both sides of the omentum?

No. The anatomy and descriptor make bilateral adjustment inappropriate; do not append modifier 50.

How does the multiple-procedure rule affect payment?

When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 49255PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,782 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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