FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 50650: UreterectomyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical removal of the ureter with its bladder cuff when the operative plan requires complete ureter removal rather than stone extraction or exploration.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities108 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $931.22 for 50650 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 50650

Ureterectomy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
18.35
Total RVUs
27.88
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$931.22

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 50650 → · 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 50650 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 50650 covers

A urologist removes the ureter along its course together with the portion of bladder attached to its lower end. This is a major operative service performed in a surgical setting, often for ureteral disease requiring complete excision, including urothelial malignancy. The removed tissue is submitted for pathologic examination. The operative report should establish that the ureter and bladder cuff were removed, rather than describing only a ureteral segment or a stone procedure.

Report 50650 when the documented work is complete ureter removal with a bladder cuff. If the operation also removes the kidney, compare the applicable nephrectomy-with-ureterectomy code instead. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are reduced to 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; 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 50650 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

50650 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$865.73
Alaska*Unavailable$1,215.61
ArizonaUnavailable$911.95
ArkansasUnavailable$857.73
AtlantaUnavailable$953.53
AustinUnavailable$936.60
BakersfieldUnavailable$932.92
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$977.90
BeaumontUnavailable$904.15
BrazoriaUnavailable$915.71

50650 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
50650 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 50650 rate is calculated

Each of 50650’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 · 50650

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 18.35Practice expense 7.04Malpractice 2.49

27.8800 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$931.22

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 50650

50650 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 50650

Ureterectomy

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 · 50650

Ureterectomy

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

50650 without 50 · national facility

$931.22

Ureterectomy

50650-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,396.83

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

50650 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

50650 vs 50234 vs 50236 vs 50548 vs 50630: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 50650
    Ureterectomy · 18.35 wRVU
    —
  • 50234
    Kidney and ureter removal · 23.45 wRVU
    —
  • 50236
    Kidney and ureter removal · 26.27 wRVU
    —
  • 50548
    Nephroureterectomy · 24.73 wRVU
    —
  • 50630
    Ureteral stone removal · 15.8 wRVU
    —

How to choose

50234Kidney and ureter removal
Use 50234 when the operative service includes nephrectomy and total ureter removal with bladder cuff through the same incision; 50650 describes ureter removal without the nephrectomy service.
50236Kidney and ureter removal
50236 includes nephrectomy with total ureter removal and bladder cuff through separate incisions. Select 50650 when the documented service is ureterectomy with cuff rather than that combined nephrectomy procedure.
50548Nephroureterectomy
50548 describes laparoscopic nephrectomy with total ureter removal. 50650 is the ureterectomy code when the kidney is not part of the removal.
50630Ureteral stone removal
50630 describes removal of a stone from the lower third of the ureter. It does not represent excision of the ureter with a bladder cuff.

Codes related to 50650

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

Codes related to 50650
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
50234Kidney and ureter removalIncludes nephrectomy with total ureter removal and bladder cuff through the same incision.No office rate
50236Kidney and ureter removalIncludes nephrectomy with total ureter removal and bladder cuff through separate incisions.No office rate
50548NephroureterectomyLaparoscopic nephrectomy with total ureter removal when the kidney is also removed.No office rate

50650 billing questions

How is 50650 different from ureterolithotomy?

50650 removes the ureter with a bladder cuff. Ureterolithotomy codes describe removal of a ureteral stone, with the code selected by the stone's ureteral location.

Is the bladder cuff included in 50650?

Yes. The cuff is part of the described removal; it is not a separate service under this code.

Can 50650 be reported with nephrectomy?

When the kidney is also removed as part of the nephroureterectomy, compare codes that include nephrectomy and total ureter removal, such as 50234, 50236, or 50548, as applicable to the documented procedure.

What documentation supports 50650?

The operative report should identify removal of the ureter in its entirety and removal of the bladder cuff. A report limited to exploration, a ureteral segment, or stone extraction supports a different service.

How does Medicare handle bilateral 50650?

CMS lists this as a bilateral procedure: when both sides are treated and modifier 50 is reported, payment is at 150%.

What postoperative care is included?

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

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 50650PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,963 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 50650 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 50650 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 →