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Billing code 51860: Bladder repairMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports straightforward suture repair of a bladder wound, such as an injury encountered during pelvic or abdominal surgery.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities969 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $682.05 for 51860 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 51860

Bladder repair

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
12.29
Total RVUs
20.42
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$682.05

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 51860 → · 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 51860 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 51860 covers

billing code 51860 describes a straightforward surgical suture repair of a bladder wound. It may be performed by a urologist or by the surgeon who identifies a bladder injury during an operation, including pelvic or abdominal surgery. The service is generally provided in an operating room; the operative report should identify the wound and describe the repair performed. This code is for a simple repair, not a more involved bladder-wound repair or closure of a planned cystostomy opening.

Select the code based on the documented nature and complexity of the repair; use 51865 when the repair meets the complicated level. The 90-day global period 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 multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is not appropriate for this repair. 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 51860 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

51860 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$627.56
Alaska*Unavailable$870.78
ArizonaUnavailable$666.12
ArkansasUnavailable$620.89
AtlantaUnavailable$699.92
AustinUnavailable$687.18
BakersfieldUnavailable$683.54
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$719.34
BeaumontUnavailable$658.87
BrazoriaUnavailable$668.86

51860 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
51860 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 51860 rate is calculated

Each of 51860’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 · 51860

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 12.29Practice expense 6.14Malpractice 1.99

20.4200 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$682.05

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 51860

51860 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 51860

Bladder repair

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 · 51860

Bladder repair

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

51860 without 51 · national facility

$682.05

Bladder repair

51860-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$341.03

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

51860 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

51860 vs 51865 vs 51880 vs 51820: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 51860
    Bladder repair · 12.29 wRVU
    —
  • 51865
    Bladder wound repair · 15.41 wRVU
    —
  • 51880
    Cystostomy closure · 7.67 wRVU
    —
  • 51820
    Outlet reconstruction · 19.1 wRVU
    —

How to choose

51865Bladder wound repair
51860 is for a simple bladder-wound suture repair; 51865 is for a complicated repair. Let the documented repair and operative findings support the level.
51880Cystostomy closure
51880 describes closing a cystostomy opening. Use 51860 for a bladder wound, such as an injury repaired with sutures.
51820Outlet reconstruction
51820 is for vesicovaginal fistula repair. A bladder wound injury repaired with sutures is the situation addressed by 51860.

Codes related to 51860

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

Codes related to 51860
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
51865Bladder wound repairComplicated bladder-wound repair; distinguish it from this simple repair by documented complexity.No office rate
Used instead
51880Cystostomy closureUsed for closure of a cystostomy opening, rather than repair of a bladder wound.No office rate
51820Outlet reconstructionFor repair of a vesicovaginal fistula, not a straightforward bladder-wound injury.No office rate

51860 billing questions

How do I choose between 51860 and 51865?

Use 51860 for a simple bladder-wound suture repair. Use 51865 when the operative documentation supports a complicated repair.

Can 51860 be reported when a bladder injury is repaired during another operation?

It may be reported for the bladder-wound repair when performed with another procedure. The standard multiple-procedure reduction applies when procedures are performed in the same session.

Should modifier 50 be appended for a bladder wound on both sides?

No. The bladder repair is not reported with modifier 50.

What documentation supports reporting 51860?

The operative report should identify the bladder wound and describe the suture repair and its level of complexity, supporting selection of the simple repair code rather than 51865.

Can an assistant surgeon be paid for this procedure?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

Does 51860 include related postoperative care?

Yes. Its 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

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 51860PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,093 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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