FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 50060: Kidney stone surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs

Open nephrotomy to remove a renal calculus is reported when the surgeon directly enters the kidney rather than using a percutaneous stone-removal approach.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $1,019.06 for 50060 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 50060

Kidney stone surgery

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
20.43
Total RVUs
30.51
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,019.06

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 50060 → · 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 50060 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 50060 covers

A urologist performs an open operation that enters the kidney through a surgical incision to remove a renal calculus. The service is performed in an operating room, generally in a facility setting. It represents direct open access to the kidney, not stone treatment through a percutaneous tract. The operative report should identify the side, the approach, and the calculus removal performed.

Select this code for open renal stone removal, distinguishing a secondary surgical operation or a large staghorn calculus when those circumstances support another code. The record should support the operative method and any details relevant to that distinction. CMS assigns a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeons require 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 50060 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

50060 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$949.94
Alaska*Unavailable$1,337.16
ArizonaUnavailable$998.74
ArkansasUnavailable$941.49
AtlantaUnavailable$1,042.68
AustinUnavailable$1,024.90
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,021.73
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,068.91
BeaumontUnavailable$990.42
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,003.03

50060 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
50060 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 50060 rate is calculated

Each of 50060’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 · 50060

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 20.43Practice expense 7.46Malpractice 2.62

30.5100 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,019.06

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 50060

50060 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 50060

Kidney stone surgery

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)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
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)0.08/0.83/0.09Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 50060

Kidney stone surgery

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 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

50060 without 50 · national facility

$1,019.06

Kidney stone surgery

50060-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,528.59

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

50060 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

50060 vs 50065 vs 50075 vs 50080 vs 50081: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 50060
    Kidney stone surgery · 20.43 wRVU
    —
  • 50065
    Kidney stone surgery · 21.76 wRVU
    —
  • 50075
    Kidney stone removal · 26.41 wRVU
    —
  • 50080
    Percutaneous stone removal · 12.1 wRVU
    —
  • 50081
    Kidney stone removal · 20.39 wRVU
    —

How to choose

50065Kidney stone surgery
Use 50065 when nephrolithotomy is performed as a secondary surgical operation. This code describes open renal calculus removal without that secondary-operation distinction.
50075Kidney stone removal
50075 identifies removal of a large staghorn calculus. Use this code for open renal stone removal when that specific circumstance is not the applicable selection.
50080Percutaneous stone removal
50080 describes percutaneous nephrolithotomy for a less complex stone presentation. This code involves open access to the kidney.
50081Kidney stone removal
50081 describes percutaneous nephrolithotomy for a more complex or larger stone presentation. This code describes an open nephrotomy approach.

Codes related to 50060

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

Codes related to 50060
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
50065Kidney stone surgeryNephrolithotomy when performed as a secondary surgical operation.No office rate
50075Kidney stone removalNephrolithotomy for removal of a large staghorn calculus.No office rate
Used instead
50080Percutaneous stone removalPercutaneous nephrolithotomy for a less complex stone presentation.No office rate
50081Kidney stone removalPercutaneous nephrolithotomy for a more complex or larger stone presentation.No office rate

50060 billing questions

How does this differ from percutaneous nephrolithotomy?

This code describes open access through a surgical incision into the kidney. Codes 50080 and 50081 describe percutaneous stone removal, with selection based on the applicable stone complexity and size criteria.

When should 50065 be considered instead?

Code 50065 is for nephrolithotomy performed as a secondary surgical operation. The operative documentation should establish that circumstance rather than a primary open stone-removal procedure.

What postoperative care is included?

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

How is bilateral surgery reported?

For bilateral procedures, modifier 50 applies; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

What should the operative report document?

Document the side, open approach, and removal of the renal calculus. Include details that support whether the case involved a secondary operation or a large staghorn calculus.

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 50060PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,870 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Fee sheets

Put 50060 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Current Medicare rates for every code you bill at your locality, with what changed since last quarter.

Get a fee sheetOr price your code list free →