Billing code 53860: Prostate treatmentMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports transurethral radiofrequency treatment of prostate tissue, typically for urinary symptoms associated with benign prostatic enlargement.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities22 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $2,391.50 for 53860 nationally in the office and $201.74 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $2,067.01–$3,391.11.

Medicare rate · 53860

Prostate treatment

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
3.87
Total RVUs
71.60
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$2,391.50

Office setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 53860 → · 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 53860 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 53860 covers

A urologist delivers radiofrequency energy to prostate tissue through a transurethral instrument to treat enlargement-related urinary obstruction. The treatment is performed in an office or other outpatient setting; the instrument and treatment method distinguish it from microwave thermotherapy, water-vapor treatment, and tissue resection. The clinical record should support the prostate condition being treated and describe the procedure and radiofrequency technique used.

Report the code for the transurethral radiofrequency treatment itself, with documentation identifying the treated tissue and method. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, which includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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 53860 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

$2067.01 to $3391.11

$2067.01$2729.06$3391.11
One dot per payment locality, office / nonfacility. Hover a dot to see the locality; select it to open that rate.

109 of 109 payment localities

53860 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Alabama$2,103.77$187.73
Alaska*$2,594.94$262.84
Arizona$2,319.56$197.68
Arkansas$2,067.01$186.01
Atlanta$2,431.05$206.25
Austin$2,520.22$203.45
Bakersfield$2,603.33$203.35
Baltimore/Surr. Cntys$2,561.35$211.73
Beaumont$2,188.21$195.52
Brazoria$2,368.80$198.74

53860 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

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.

$2,067.01

$2,996.51

Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.

View every state and territory as a table
53860 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AK$2,594.941
AL$2,103.771
AR$2,067.011
AZ$2,319.561
CA$2,601.90–$3,391.1129
CO$2,533.301
CT$2,570.411
DC$2,800.121
DE$2,363.581
FL$2,300.74–$2,508.113
GA$2,151.99–$2,431.052
GU$2,692.491
HI$2,692.491
IA$2,190.911
ID$2,203.361
IL$2,205.11–$2,465.434
IN$2,219.291
KS$2,167.921
KY$2,140.811
LA$2,132.52–$2,261.162
MA$2,509.37–$2,830.812
MD$2,418.44–$2,800.123
ME$2,205.75–$2,365.372
MI$2,198.15–$2,323.892
MN$2,445.361
MO$2,081.11–$2,283.723
MS$2,075.101
MT$2,391.471
NC$2,235.221
ND$2,381.981
NE$2,208.571
NH$2,481.601
NJ$2,604.88–$2,760.132
NM$2,208.291
NV$2,391.071
NY$2,274.43–$2,838.055
OH$2,196.211
OK$2,147.581
OR$2,377.76–$2,638.802
PA$2,206.43–$2,489.022
PR$2,415.971
RI$2,466.351
SC$2,218.391
SD$2,380.861
TN$2,179.681
TX$2,188.21–$2,520.228
UT$2,255.101
VA$2,348.61–$2,800.122
VI$2,415.971
VT$2,361.121
WA$2,508.40–$2,904.922
WI$2,286.071
WV$2,104.161
WY$2,387.341

How the 53860 rate is calculated

Each of 53860’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 · 53860

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 3.87Practice expense 67.25Malpractice 0.48

71.6000 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$2,391.50

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 53860

53860 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 53860

Prostate treatment

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)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
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 · 53860

Prostate treatment

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

53860 without 51 · national office

$2,391.50

Prostate treatment

53860-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$1,195.75

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

53860 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

53860 vs 53852 vs 53850 vs 53854: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 53860
    Prostate treatment · 3.87 wRVU
    $2,391.50
  • 53852
    Prostate ablation · 5.78 wRVU
    $1,396.49−$995.01
  • 53850
    Prostate treatment · 5.28 wRVU
    $1,427.22−$964.28
  • 53854
    Prostate ablation · 5.78 wRVU
    $3,395.54+$1,004.04

How to choose

53852Prostate ablation
Both describe transurethral radiofrequency treatment of prostate tissue, but 53852 specifies radiofrequency thermotherapy. Base code selection on the documented procedure technique.
53850Prostate treatment
This code identifies microwave thermotherapy of prostate tissue, not transurethral radiofrequency treatment.
53854Prostate ablation
This code identifies treatment using radiofrequency-generated water vapor, a different method from the radiofrequency treatment reported with 53860.

53860 billing questions

How does this differ from 53852?

Both involve transurethral radiofrequency treatment of prostate tissue. Use the code that matches the specific procedure and technique documented; 53852 identifies radiofrequency thermotherapy.

Can this be reported with microwave or water-vapor treatment?

Those are distinct treatment methods, represented by 53850 for microwave thermotherapy and 53854 for radiofrequency-generated water-vapor thermotherapy. Select the code for the method actually performed.

What postoperative care is included?

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

Can modifier 50 be used?

No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service.

When is an assistant-at-surgery payment allowed?

Only when medical necessity for the assistant is documented. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.

How are other procedures in the same session paid?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full; other procedures in the same session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.

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 53860PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,231 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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