FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 51080: Bladder abscess drainageMedicare rate & RVUs

Operative drainage of an abscess involving the bladder, reported when a surgeon opens and drains the infected collection rather than performing routine bladder drainage.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $378.77 for 51080 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 51080

Bladder abscess drainage

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
6.54
Total RVUs
11.34
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$378.77

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 51080 → · 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 51080 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 51080 covers

A urologist or other surgeon uses this code for operative drainage of a localized abscess involving the bladder. The procedure addresses an infected collection, not routine emptying of the bladder or drainage of urine. The operative report should identify the abscess and describe the drainage performed. The service is generally provided in an operating-room setting when surgical access is needed to drain the collection.

Report the code when the documented procedure is drainage of a bladder abscess; a cystotomy performed for urinary drainage is a different service. The record should support the abscess diagnosis, its relationship to the bladder, and the operative work. This major surgery code includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. 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% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this single-organ procedure. Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid; 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 51080 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

51080 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$350.06
Alaska*Unavailable$483.99
ArizonaUnavailable$370.63
ArkansasUnavailable$346.51
AtlantaUnavailable$387.18
AustinUnavailable$383.68
BakersfieldUnavailable$384.64
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$398.57
BeaumontUnavailable$364.87
BrazoriaUnavailable$373.15

51080 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
51080 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 51080 rate is calculated

Each of 51080’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 · 51080

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 6.54Practice expense 3.96Malpractice 0.84

11.3400 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$378.77

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 51080

51080 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 51080

Bladder abscess drainage

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 · 51080

Bladder abscess drainage

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

51080 without 51 · national facility

$378.77

Bladder abscess drainage

51080-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$189.39

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

51080 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

51080 vs 51040 vs 51100: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 51080
    Bladder abscess drainage · 6.54 wRVU
    —
  • 51040
    Bladder drainage · 4.38 wRVU
    —
  • 51100
    Bladder aspiration · 0.76 wRVU
    $74.48

How to choose

51040Bladder drainage
Choose 51080 for operative drainage of a bladder abscess. Choose 51040 when the documented service is cystotomy with drainage rather than drainage of an abscess.
51100Bladder aspiration
51100 describes needle aspiration of the bladder. It is not the operative abscess-drainage service reported with 51080.

Codes related to 51080

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

Codes related to 51080
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
51040Bladder drainageCystotomy with drainage is a distinct bladder-drainage service, not abscess drainage by definition.No office rate
51100Bladder aspirationBladder aspiration uses a needle rather than operative drainage of an abscess.$66.53–$96.25

51080 billing questions

How is this different from 51040?

51080 is for operative drainage of a bladder abscess. Code 51040 describes cystotomy with drainage and is used for that distinct bladder-drainage service, not simply because an abscess is present.

Can modifier 50 be used for drainage on both sides?

No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this single bladder procedure.

What postoperative care is included?

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

Can an assistant surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid for this procedure. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

What documentation supports reporting 51080?

Document the bladder abscess, its relationship to the bladder, and the operative steps used to drain the collection.

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 51080PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,022 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 51080 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 51080 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 →