Billing code 50385: Ureteral stent exchangeMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $996.01 for 50385 nationally in the office and $189.38 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $869.09–$1,375.77.

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

What 50385 covers

A urologist passes a cystoscope through the urethra to reach the bladder and ureteral opening, removes an indwelling ureteral stent, and places a replacement. Fluoroscopy may be used to guide or confirm placement. Exchanges commonly maintain drainage when a stent is due for replacement, becomes obstructed or encrusted, or remains necessary during treatment of stones, ureteral narrowing, or postoperative obstruction. The service is commonly performed in an operating room or ambulatory surgery setting, and may also be performed in an office when appropriate.

Report 50385 for a completed exchange, rather than removal alone or initial stent placement without an existing stent to replace. Documentation should identify the side, indication, existing stent removal, replacement placement, and transurethral approach. Routine cystoscopic access for the exchange is part of the service. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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 requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 50385 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

50385 rates by state

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

How the 50385 rate is calculated

Each of 50385’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 50385

The CMS indicators that decide how 50385 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

50385 compared with similar codes

How to choose

50386Stent removal

Choose 50385 when the existing stent is removed and a replacement is placed. Choose 50386 when the transurethral service removes the stent without replacing it.

50382Ureteral stent

Both describe ureteral stent exchange, but 50382 uses a percutaneous route; 50385 uses a transurethral route.

52332Ureteral stent

52332 is used for placement of an indwelling ureteral stent, rather than exchange of an existing stent through the transurethral route.

Codes related to 50385

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

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates