Billing code 51100: Bladder aspirationMedicare rate & RVUs
Reports suprapubic needle aspiration of the bladder, commonly to obtain urine when urethral catheterization is unsuitable or cannot be performed.
Medicare pays $74.48 for 51100 nationally in the office and $33.73 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $66.53–$96.25.
Medicare rate · 51100
Bladder aspiration
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 0.76
- Total RVUs
- 2.23
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$74.48
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 51100 → · 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 51100 covers
A clinician punctures the bladder through the lower abdominal wall with a needle and aspirates its contents, commonly urine for a specimen when urethral catheterization is unsuitable or cannot be performed. Urologists and other physicians may perform the procedure in an office, emergency department, or hospital setting. The distinguishing feature is needle aspiration without placement of a suprapubic drainage catheter; a catheter or trocar approach belongs to a different code.
Report 51100 for the needle aspiration itself. Documentation should identify the percutaneous needle approach and the reason for the procedure, such as obtaining urine when urethral access is not suitable. The service has 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 other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; 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 51100 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
$66.53 to $96.25
109 of 109 payment localities
51100 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.
$66.53
$88.82
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 | $88.82 | 1 |
| AL | $67.42 | 1 |
| AR | $66.53 | 1 |
| AZ | $72.62 | 1 |
| CA | $77.95–$96.25 | 29 |
| CO | $77.08 | 1 |
| CT | $79.17 | 1 |
| DC | $84.40 | 1 |
| DE | $73.75 | 1 |
| FL | $73.97–$80.97 | 3 |
| GA | $70.08–$75.90 | 2 |
| GU | $79.53 | 1 |
| HI | $79.53 | 1 |
| IA | $68.75 | 1 |
| ID | $69.21 | 1 |
| IL | $72.17–$78.79 | 4 |
| IN | $69.57 | 1 |
| KS | $68.57 | 1 |
| KY | $69.11 | 1 |
| LA | $69.06–$72.17 | 2 |
| MA | $76.72–$84.14 | 2 |
| MD | $75.04–$84.40 | 3 |
| ME | $69.66–$72.96 | 2 |
| MI | $70.86–$74.93 | 2 |
| MN | $73.70 | 1 |
| MO | $68.04–$72.28 | 3 |
| MS | $67.29 | 1 |
| MT | $74.48 | 1 |
| NC | $70.31 | 1 |
| ND | $72.70 | 1 |
| NE | $69.07 | 1 |
| NH | $76.00 | 1 |
| NJ | $80.03–$83.66 | 2 |
| NM | $71.26 | 1 |
| NV | $74.03 | 1 |
| NY | $71.29–$87.40 | 5 |
| OH | $70.50 | 1 |
| OK | $68.88 | 1 |
| OR | $73.41–$79.24 | 2 |
| PA | $70.54–$77.41 | 2 |
| PR | $74.95 | 1 |
| RI | $76.16 | 1 |
| SC | $70.53 | 1 |
| SD | $72.49 | 1 |
| TN | $68.90 | 1 |
| TX | $70.12–$76.87 | 8 |
| UT | $71.41 | 1 |
| VA | $72.82–$84.40 | 2 |
| VI | $74.95 | 1 |
| VT | $72.54 | 1 |
| WA | $76.54–$85.67 | 2 |
| WI | $70.47 | 1 |
| WV | $69.74 | 1 |
| WY | $73.70 | 1 |
How the 51100 rate is calculated
Each of 51100’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 · 51100
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.76Practice expense 1.38Malpractice 0.09
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 51100
The CMS indicators that decide how 51100 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 51100
Bladder aspiration
| 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) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| 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 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
51100 without 51 · national office
$74.48
Bladder aspiration
51100-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$37.24
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%).
51100 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
51100 vs 51101 vs 51102 vs 51701: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 51101Bladder drainage
- Choose 51100 for needle aspiration without catheter placement. 51101 represents drainage through a trocar or catheter approach.
- 51102Bladder drainage
- 51100 is needle aspiration; 51102 is used when a suprapubic catheter is inserted for drainage.
- 51701Bladder catheterization
- 51701 describes non-indwelling catheterization through the urethra. 51100 is percutaneous needle aspiration through the lower abdominal wall.
51100 billing questions
How is 51100 different from 51101?
51100 is needle aspiration without catheter placement. 51101 describes bladder drainage using a trocar or catheter approach.
Does 51100 include placement of a suprapubic catheter?
No. It covers needle aspiration; when a suprapubic catheter is inserted, consider 51102 instead.
Can 51100 be billed with a catheterization code?
A separate urethral catheterization should reflect a distinct service, not merely another way of describing the bladder access used for the aspiration. 51701 describes non-indwelling urethral catheterization, rather than percutaneous needle aspiration.
Should modifier 50 be appended?
No. The bladder procedure is not reported bilaterally, and the CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply.
How does the 0-day global period affect same-day care?
Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the procedure. If multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 51100. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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
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