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Billing code 51840: Bladder suspensionMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports abdominal suspension of the bladder neck or urethra, commonly for female stress urinary incontinence associated with loss of urethral support.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities153 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $622.26 for 51840 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 51840

Bladder suspension

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
11.08
Total RVUs
18.63
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$622.26

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 51840 → · 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 51840 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 51840 covers

A urologist or urogynecologist performs this operation through an abdominal approach to support the bladder neck or urethra. Common techniques include Burch colposuspension and Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz repair, used for stress urinary incontinence related to inadequate urethral support. The service is generally performed in an operating room, rather than as an office procedure.

Choose this code when the operative report documents the abdominal suspension technique and the work is not described as complicated; a complicated or secondary repair is distinguished by code 51841. Document the indication, surgical approach, and structures supported. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. 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 51840 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

51840 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$573.91
Alaska*Unavailable$795.71
ArizonaUnavailable$608.29
ArkansasUnavailable$567.97
AtlantaUnavailable$637.48
AustinUnavailable$628.26
BakersfieldUnavailable$626.99
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$655.52
BeaumontUnavailable$600.60
BrazoriaUnavailable$611.46

51840 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
51840 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 51840 rate is calculated

Each of 51840’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 · 51840

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 11.08Practice expense 5.92Malpractice 1.63

18.6300 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$622.26

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 51840

51840 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 51840

Bladder suspension

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 · 51840

Bladder suspension

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

51840 without 51 · national facility

$622.26

Bladder suspension

51840-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$311.13

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

51840 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

51840 vs 51841 vs 51845 vs 57288: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 51840
    Bladder suspension · 11.08 wRVU
    —
  • 51841
    Bladder suspension · 13.34 wRVU
    —
  • 51845
    Bladder neck repair · 9.9 wRVU
    —
  • 57288
    Sling procedure · 11.83 wRVU
    —

How to choose

51841Bladder suspension
51841 is for a complicated abdominal suspension, such as a secondary repair. 51840 describes the standard abdominal suspension service.
51845Bladder neck repair
Both involve abdominal support of the urethral or bladder-neck region, but 51845 describes a different urethral-suspension procedure. Follow the operative method documented.
57288Sling procedure
57288 reports a sling operation for stress incontinence. 51840 applies to abdominal suspension techniques such as Burch or Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz.

Codes related to 51840

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

Codes related to 51840
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
51841Bladder suspensionAbdominal suspension in this family when the repair is documented as complicated.No office rate
Used instead
51845Bladder neck repairAnother abdominal urethral-suspension procedure; select according to the documented operative method.No office rate
57288Sling procedureReports a sling operation for stress incontinence rather than abdominal suspension.No office rate

51840 billing questions

When should 51841 be used instead?

Use 51841 when the abdominal suspension is documented as complicated, such as a secondary repair. The operative report should support that distinction.

How does 51840 differ from a sling operation?

51840 describes abdominal bladder-neck or urethral suspension, such as a Burch or Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz procedure. A sling operation uses a sling to support the urethra and is reported with the code that matches its approach.

Can modifier 50 be reported?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.

What documentation supports reporting 51840?

Document the stress-incontinence indication, abdominal approach, suspension technique, and structures supported. The operative details should also establish whether the repair was complicated or secondary.

How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while team-surgery payment 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 51840PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,090 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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