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Billing code 55877: Prostate ablationMedicare rate & RVUs

Percutaneous irreversible electroporation treats one or more prostate tumors with needle-delivered electrical pulses, including imaging guidance when performed.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $671.36 for 55877 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 55877

Prostate ablation

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
13.5
Total RVUs
20.10
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$671.36

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 55877 → · 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 55877 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 55877 covers

A urologist uses percutaneously placed electrodes to deliver electrical pulses that disrupt tumor-cell membranes in one or more prostate tumors. This irreversible electroporation approach is used for targeted treatment of prostate cancer and differs from techniques that destroy tissue by freezing or focused ultrasound. Imaging guidance is included when performed. The service is generally performed in a procedural or surgical setting.

Report one unit for the treatment of one or more tumors; document the percutaneous approach, irreversible electroporation method, treated tumor site or sites, and any imaging guidance. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including 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. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, and 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 55877 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

55877 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$627.19
Alaska*Unavailable$883.50
ArizonaUnavailable$658.45
ArkansasUnavailable$621.78
AtlantaUnavailable$686.19
AustinUnavailable$675.80
BakersfieldUnavailable$674.90
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$703.48
BeaumontUnavailable$652.54
BrazoriaUnavailable$661.63

55877 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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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
55877 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 55877 rate is calculated

Each of 55877’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 · 55877

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 13.50Practice expense 4.99Malpractice 1.61

20.1000 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$671.36

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 55877

55877 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 55877

Prostate ablation

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)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
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 · 55877

Prostate ablation

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

55877 without 51 · national facility

$671.36

Prostate ablation

55877-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$335.68

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

55877 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

55877 vs 55873 vs 55880 vs 55881 vs 55882: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 55877
    Prostate ablation · 13.5 wRVU
    —
  • 55873
    Prostate cryoablation · 13.26 wRVU
    $5,691.51
  • 55880
    Prostate HIFU · 17.29 wRVU
    —
  • 55881
    Prostate ablation · 9.56 wRVU
    $9,270.42
  • 55882
    Prostate ablation · 11.21 wRVU
    $9,636.16

How to choose

55873Prostate cryoablation
Choose 55877 for percutaneous irreversible electroporation; 55873 describes prostate cryoablation.
55880Prostate HIFU
55880 is for transrectal high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation of malignant prostate tissue. 55877 is the percutaneous irreversible electroporation service.
55881Prostate ablation
55881 describes a transurethral prostate tissue ablation approach. Use 55877 for percutaneous irreversible electroporation.
55882Prostate ablation
55882 describes a transurethral prostate tissue ablation approach. Use 55877 for percutaneous irreversible electroporation.

Codes related to 55877

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

Codes related to 55877
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
55873Prostate cryoablationProstate cryoablation is a different tissue-destruction method for a prostate tumor.$4,932.04–$8,008.98
55880Prostate HIFUUses transrectal high-intensity focused ultrasound for malignant prostate tissue rather than percutaneous electroporation.No office rate
55881Prostate ablationA transurethral prostate tissue ablation approach, rather than percutaneous irreversible electroporation.$7,994.07–$13,224.41
55882Prostate ablationA transurethral prostate tissue ablation approach, rather than percutaneous irreversible electroporation.$8,312.10–$13,723.22

55877 billing questions

Does the number of tumors change the units reported?

The descriptor covers treatment of one or more tumors, so report one unit for the session rather than a unit for each tumor. Document the treated tumor or tumors.

Can imaging guidance be billed separately?

Imaging guidance, when performed for this ablation, is included in 55877. Document the guidance used as part of the procedure.

How is 55877 different from prostate cryoablation?

55877 describes percutaneous irreversible electroporation using electrical pulses. Code 55873 describes prostate cryoablation, which uses freezing.

What postoperative care is included?

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

Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?

CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for 55877. 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
RVUs for 55877PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,395 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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