FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 49323: Lymphocele drainageMedicare rate & RVUs

Report laparoscopic operative drainage when a surgeon treats a lymphocele, often a symptomatic postoperative collection, through abdominal ports.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities351 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $604.22 for 49323 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 49323

Lymphocele drainage

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
9.97
Total RVUs
18.09
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$604.22

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 49323 → · 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 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 49323 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 49323 covers

This code represents operative laparoscopic treatment of a lymphocele, a postoperative lymphatic fluid collection, by opening the collection to establish drainage. Surgeons may encounter symptomatic pelvic lymphoceles after pelvic lymph-node dissection or in transplant patients; the laparoscope allows inspection and treatment through abdominal ports. General, gynecologic, urologic, or transplant surgeons may perform the procedure in a hospital operating room.

Select 49323 when the operative work is directed to draining a lymphocele, rather than merely sampling it or aspirating a collection. The operative report should identify the collection as a lymphocele, document its location and the laparoscopic approach, and describe the drainage performed. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy-family pricing applies. Assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons are permitted; team surgery is not. Modifier 50 is inappropriate.

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 49323 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

49323 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$546.27
Alaska*Unavailable$748.35
ArizonaUnavailable$587.02
ArkansasUnavailable$539.21
AtlantaUnavailable$623.96
AustinUnavailable$607.23
BakersfieldUnavailable$598.69
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$642.11
BeaumontUnavailable$581.29
BrazoriaUnavailable$588.02

49323 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
49323 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 49323 rate is calculated

Each of 49323’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 · 49323

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 9.97Practice expense 5.79Malpractice 2.33

18.0900 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$604.22

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 49323

49323 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 49323

Lymphocele drainage

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures3Endoscopy family rules apply.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)2Permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.80/0.10Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 49323

Lymphocele drainage

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

49323 without 51 · national facility

$604.22

Lymphocele drainage

49323-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$302.11

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

49323 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

49323 vs 49322 vs 49320 vs 49329: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 49323
    Lymphocele drainage · 9.97 wRVU
    —
  • 49322
    Laparoscopic aspiration · 5.86 wRVU
    —
  • 49320
    Diagnostic laparoscopy · 5.01 wRVU
    —
  • 49329
    · 0 wRVU
    —

How to choose

49322Laparoscopic aspiration
49323 is for operative drainage of a lymphocele; 49322 is for laparoscopic aspiration of a collection.
49320Diagnostic laparoscopy
49320 describes diagnostic laparoscopic inspection. Choose 49323 when the surgeon performs therapeutic drainage of a lymphocele.
49329Unlstd laps px abd pertm&omn
49329 is an unlisted laparoscopic code. Use 49323 when the documented procedure is laparoscopic drainage of a lymphocele.

Codes related to 49323

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Codes related to 49323
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
49322Laparoscopic aspirationLaparoscopic aspiration is an alternative when fluid is removed without operative drainage.No office rate
49320Diagnostic laparoscopyDiagnostic laparoscopy may fit when inspection is performed without therapeutic lymphocele drainage.No office rate
49329Unlstd laps px abd pertm&omnUnlisted laparoscopy code for a laparoscopic procedure without a more specific code.No office rate

49323 billing questions

When should 49323 be chosen over 49322?

Use 49323 for operative laparoscopic drainage of a lymphocele. Code 49322 describes laparoscopic aspiration, which removes fluid by suction rather than establishing operative drainage.

Can diagnostic laparoscopy be reported separately with 49323?

Do not separately report diagnostic laparoscopy solely for inspection or access during the same operative session in which the lymphocele is drained.

What documentation supports 49323?

Document that the treated collection is a lymphocele, its location, the laparoscopic approach, and the operative steps used to drain it.

Does modifier 50 apply to bilateral lymphoceles?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 is not used.

How does the 90-day global affect postoperative care?

The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the major-surgery global period.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made, and co-surgeons are permitted. Team surgery is not permitted for this code.

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 49323PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,786 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 49323 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 49323 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.

Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →