Billing code 50684: Ureteral imagingMedicare rate & RVUs
Reports contrast injection through a ureteral catheter to outline the ureter or renal pelvis during retrograde imaging, commonly in urologic procedures.
Medicare pays $128.26 for 50684 nationally in the office and $46.76 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $112.74–$174.32.
Medicare rate · 50684
Ureteral imaging
- Work RVUs
- 0.74
- Total RVUs
- 3.84
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$128.26
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 50684 →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
What 50684 covers
A urologist injects contrast through a catheter positioned in the ureter to outline the ureter and, when needed, the renal pelvis on imaging. This retrograde study can help assess the collecting system during cystoscopy or another urologic procedure, such as evaluation of a suspected narrowing, obstruction, or filling defect. The code represents the injection service; imaging supervision and interpretation may be represented separately when supported and reported under the applicable imaging code.
Documentation should identify the catheter route, the side examined, the contrast injection, and the clinical purpose. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. 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. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services are not paid; 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 50684 pays more and less
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
109 payment localities
$112.74 to $174.32
109 of 109 payment localities
50684 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.
Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.
$112.74
$155.72
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
View every state and territory as a table
| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $145.97 | 1 |
| AL | $114.49 | 1 |
| AR | $112.74 | 1 |
| AZ | $124.75 | 1 |
| CA | $137.12–$174.32 | 29 |
| CO | $134.43 | 1 |
| CT | $137.08 | 1 |
| DC | $147.85 | 1 |
| DE | $126.90 | 1 |
| FL | $125.17–$136.48 | 3 |
| GA | $117.88–$130.48 | 2 |
| GU | $140.95 | 1 |
| HI | $140.95 | 1 |
| IA | $118.07 | 1 |
| ID | $118.78 | 1 |
| IL | $120.99–$133.22 | 4 |
| IN | $119.52 | 1 |
| KS | $117.25 | 1 |
| KY | $116.84 | 1 |
| LA | $116.55–$122.67 | 2 |
| MA | $133.46–$148.55 | 2 |
| MD | $129.50–$147.85 | 3 |
| ME | $119.18–$126.37 | 2 |
| MI | $119.83–$126.56 | 2 |
| MN | $129.30 | 1 |
| MO | $114.27–$123.42 | 3 |
| MS | $113.54 | 1 |
| MT | $128.25 | 1 |
| NC | $120.54 | 1 |
| ND | $126.67 | 1 |
| NE | $118.83 | 1 |
| NH | $132.06 | 1 |
| NJ | $138.79–$146.14 | 2 |
| NM | $120.42 | 1 |
| NV | $127.91 | 1 |
| NY | $122.42–$151.20 | 5 |
| OH | $119.51 | 1 |
| OK | $116.87 | 1 |
| OR | $127.06–$139.17 | 2 |
| PA | $119.84–$133.36 | 2 |
| PR | $129.33 | 1 |
| RI | $131.77 | 1 |
| SC | $120.19 | 1 |
| SD | $126.49 | 1 |
| TN | $117.84 | 1 |
| TX | $118.99–$133.85 | 8 |
| UT | $121.93 | 1 |
| VA | $125.76–$147.85 | 2 |
| VI | $129.33 | 1 |
| VT | $125.93 | 1 |
| WA | $133.29–$151.90 | 2 |
| WI | $122.17 | 1 |
| WV | $116.20 | 1 |
| WY | $127.56 | 1 |
How the 50684 rate is calculated
Each of 50684’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 · 50684
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.74
0.74 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense3.02
3.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.08
0.08 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
3.8400
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$128.26
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 50684
The CMS indicators that decide how 50684 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 50684
Ureteral imaging
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
50684 without 50 · national office
$128.26
Ureteral imaging
50684-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$192.39
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).
50684 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 50690Ureteral injection
- Use 50684 for injection through a ureteral catheter. 50690 describes injection through a ureterostomy or established nephrostomy.
- 52005Ureteral catheterization
- 52005 describes the cystourethroscopic catheterization service, which may include ureteropyelography. 50684 describes injection through a ureteral catheter.
- 74420Retrograde urography
- 74420 represents the radiologic examination and interpretation of retrograde urography; 50684 represents the contrast injection procedure.
50684 billing questions
How does 50684 differ from 50690?
50684 describes contrast injection through a ureteral catheter. 50690 is the related route through a ureterostomy or an established nephrostomy.
Is the imaging interpretation included?
50684 represents the injection procedure. Radiologic supervision and interpretation may be reported separately when the imaging service is performed and documented.
How should bilateral services be reported?
CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Document the ureteral side or sides examined.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid for this service?
CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for 50684. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
How is 50684 different from 52005?
50684 describes the contrast injection through a ureteral catheter. 52005 describes cystourethroscopy with ureteral catheterization, with or without ureteropyelography; distinguish the reported service from the endoscopic catheterization.
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
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