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Billing code 50770: Ureteral anastomosisMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports reconstructive surgery that connects one ureter to the opposite ureter, redirecting urine when the affected ureter cannot drain normally to the bladder.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $1,030.42 for 50770 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 50770

Ureteral anastomosis

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
20.69
Total RVUs
30.85
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,030.42

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 50770 → · 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 50770 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 50770 covers

In a transureteroureterostomy, the surgeon connects the affected ureter to the opposite ureter so urine can drain through the other side into the bladder. Urologists typically perform this reconstructive operation in a surgical facility when the usual route from a kidney to the bladder cannot be restored or used. The operative report should identify the ureteral anatomy, the side and course of the connection, and the reason for redirecting drainage.

Report this code for the cross-connection between ureters, not for reconnecting separated ends of the same ureter or implanting a ureter into the bladder. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this procedure. An assistant at surgery may be paid; 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 50770 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

50770 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$960.65
Alaska*Unavailable$1,352.51
ArizonaUnavailable$1,009.90
ArkansasUnavailable$952.12
AtlantaUnavailable$1,054.30
AustinUnavailable$1,036.26
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,033.02
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,080.76
BeaumontUnavailable$1,001.56
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,014.22

50770 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.

View every state and territory as a table
50770 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 50770 rate is calculated

Each of 50770’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 · 50770

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 20.69Practice expense 7.51Malpractice 2.65

30.8500 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,030.42

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 50770

50770 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 50770

Ureteral anastomosis

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)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
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 · 50770

Ureteral anastomosis

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

50770 without 51 · national facility

$1,030.42

Ureteral anastomosis

50770-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$515.21

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

50770 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

50770 vs 50760 vs 50780 vs 50782: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 50770
    Ureteral anastomosis · 20.69 wRVU
    —
  • 50760
    Ureter repair · 19.57 wRVU
    —
  • 50780
    Ureter reimplantation · 19.45 wRVU
    —
  • 50782
    Ureteral reimplantation · 19.17 wRVU
    —

How to choose

50760Ureter repair
Choose 50770 when the surgeon connects one ureter to the opposite ureter to redirect drainage. Choose 50760 for a ureter-to-ureter connection that does not cross to the opposite side.
50780Ureter reimplantation
50780 applies when the ureter is implanted into the bladder; 50770 connects it to the opposite ureter.
50782Ureteral reimplantation
50782 is a ureter-to-bladder reimplantation option for duplicated ureter anatomy. It does not describe the cross-connection between ureters reported with 50770.

Codes related to 50770

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

Codes related to 50770
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
50760Ureter repairConnects ureteral segments without the cross-connection to the opposite ureter.No office rate
50780Ureter reimplantationConnects a ureter to the bladder rather than to the opposite ureter.No office rate
50782Ureteral reimplantationA bladder reimplantation option for a duplicated ureteral system.No office rate
50700Ureter repairUreteral reconstruction when the operation is a plastic repair rather than cross-connection.No office rate

50770 billing questions

How is this different from 50760?

This procedure connects one ureter to the opposite ureter. Use 50760 for a ureter-to-ureter connection that does not redirect drainage across to the opposite side.

When is 50780 a better fit?

Use 50780 when the ureter is connected to the bladder. This code describes a connection from one ureter to the opposite ureter.

Should modifier 50 be appended when both ureters are involved?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this procedure; do not report it with modifier 50.

What documentation supports reporting this code?

The operative report should establish the ureter-to-opposite-ureter connection, the anatomy involved, and the clinical reason the surgeon redirected drainage.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only when supporting documentation is provided; team surgery is not permitted.

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 50770PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,983 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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