Billing code 57455: Cervical biopsyMedicare rate & RVUs

Report this service when colposcopy is used to examine the cervix and obtain one or more targeted cervical tissue biopsies, without endocervical curettage.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities2.1K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $160.99 for 57455 nationally in the office and $96.53 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $143.29–$199.74.

Medicare rate · 57455

Cervical biopsy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
1.94
Total RVUs
4.82
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$160.99

Office setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 57455 → · 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 57455 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 57455 covers

During colposcopy, a gynecologist or other qualified women's health clinician examines the cervix under magnification, often after applying a solution that helps highlight abnormal areas. The clinician takes one or more tissue samples from suspicious cervical sites for pathology. This service is commonly performed in an office or outpatient setting after an abnormal cervical screening result or a concerning cervical finding.

Report 57455 once for the colposcopy session with cervical biopsy, regardless of the number of biopsy sites. The record should support the indication, colposcopic findings, sampled cervical sites, and specimen submission. When endocervical curettage is also performed, 57454 represents the combination; 57456 describes endocervical curettage without cervical biopsy. The procedure has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. If related endoscopies are performed together, CMS endoscopy family pricing applies. Modifier 50 is inappropriate; assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and co-surgeon and team-surgery payment 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 57455 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

$143.29 to $199.74

$143.29$171.51$199.74
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

57455 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Alabama$145.25$88.85
Alaska*$193.46$124.81
Arizona$156.65$94.19
Arkansas$143.29$87.92
Atlanta$164.95$99.46
Austin$164.63$96.43
Bakersfield$165.60$94.95
Baltimore/Surr. Cntys$171.02$101.85
Beaumont$152.56$93.90
Brazoria$158.11$94.22

57455 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.

$143.29

$193.46

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

View every state and territory as a table
57455 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AK$193.461
AL$145.251
AR$143.291
AZ$156.651
CA$164.59–$199.7429
CO$164.521
CT$171.291
DC$180.831
DE$159.091
FL$163.34–$182.833
GA$154.21–$164.952
GU$167.461
HI$167.461
IA$146.591
ID$147.921
IL$160.44–$177.444
IN$148.671
KS$146.951
KY$150.631
LA$150.81–$157.662
MA$164.05–$178.662
MD$161.66–$180.833
ME$149.71–$155.802
MI$155.22–$166.302
MN$154.971
MO$149.06–$156.983
MS$146.151
MT$160.971
NC$151.011
ND$153.851
NE$147.031
NH$162.941
NJ$172.49–$179.362
NM$156.421
NV$159.071
NY$153.21–$191.355
OH$153.771
OK$149.301
OR$157.08–$168.292
PA$153.43–$167.932
PR$161.741
RI$163.701
SC$152.791
SD$153.011
TN$147.771
TX$152.56–$165.448
UT$154.721
VA$156.03–$180.832
VI$161.741
VT$154.211
WA$163.42–$181.142
WI$149.141
WV$155.151
WY$157.871

How the 57455 rate is calculated

Each of 57455’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 · 57455

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 1.94Practice expense 2.52Malpractice 0.36

4.8200 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$160.99

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 57455

The CMS indicators that decide how 57455 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 57455

Cervical biopsy

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures3Endoscopy family rules apply.
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.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

57455 without 51 · national office

$160.99

Cervical biopsy

57455-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$80.50

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

57455 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

57455 vs 57452 vs 57454 vs 57456 vs 57460: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 57455
    Cervical biopsy · 1.94 wRVU
    $160.99
  • 57452
    Colposcopy · 1.46 wRVU
    $125.59−$35.40
  • 57454
    Cervical colposcopy · 2.27 wRVU
    $166.00+$5.01
  • 57456
    Cervical colposcopy · 1.8 wRVU
    $150.64−$10.35
  • 57460
    Cervical LEEP biopsy · 2.76 wRVU
    $308.96+$147.97

How to choose

57452Colposcopy
57452 is for colposcopic examination without cervical biopsy. Report 57455 when the clinician also samples cervical tissue.
57454Cervical colposcopy
57454 includes both cervical biopsy and endocervical curettage. Use 57455 when cervical biopsy is performed without that curettage.
57456Cervical colposcopy
57456 describes colposcopy with endocervical curettage but no cervical biopsy. 57455 is for cervical biopsy without endocervical curettage.
57460Cervical LEEP biopsy
57460 describes colposcopy with loop-electrode cervical biopsy. 57455 is used for cervical biopsy without that loop-electrode method.

57455 billing questions

When should 57455 be chosen instead of 57452?

Use 57455 when the colposcopy includes one or more cervical tissue biopsies. Use 57452 for the colposcopic examination without biopsy.

Can 57455 be reported when endocervical curettage is also performed?

When cervical biopsy and endocervical curettage are both performed during the session, use 57454 for the combined service. Endocervical curettage alone is described by 57456.

Is 57455 reported once for multiple cervical biopsy sites?

Yes. Report one unit for the colposcopy session with cervical biopsy; the number of cervical sites sampled does not create additional units.

Can modifier 50 be used for biopsies on both sides of the cervix?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, even when biopsies are taken from more than one cervical site.

What same-day care is included in 57455?

The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. The colposcopic examination is part of the biopsy service.

Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be paid for 57455?

Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted for this service. 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 57455PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,493 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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