No office rate
Use 38571 for laparoscopic bilateral total pelvic lymphadenectomy; this code describes an open pelvic dissection.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
38770 Pelvic lymphadenectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Reports open removal of pelvic lymph nodes, including external iliac, hypogastric, and obturator nodes, during surgery for cancers such as prostate or gynecologic malignancies. Compare 38770 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alabama.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 38770 in Alabama?
Alabama has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$680.17
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Surgical oncology
About 38770: Open pelvic lymph node dissection
Reports open removal of pelvic lymph nodes, including external iliac, hypogastric, and obturator nodes, during surgery for cancers such as prostate or gynecologic malignancies.
This code describes an open pelvic lymphadenectomy involving nodal tissue in the external iliac, hypogastric, and obturator regions. Urologists and gynecologic oncologists commonly perform it during cancer surgery, such as prostate, bladder, or gynecologic cancer operations. The service is distinct from removing groin nodes or performing a laparoscopic pelvic dissection. The operative report should identify the pelvic nodal fields dissected and the extent of the removal.
Report the code when the documented operation includes this pelvic lymph node dissection, rather than a limited sentinel-node procedure or a dissection confined to another region. It has 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 other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 38770
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU13.71 · 62%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.11 · 28%
- Malpractice RVU2.31 · 10%
455
Medicare services in 2024 · #3647 by national volume
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.
38770 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Use 38572 when the laparoscopic pelvic dissection also includes peri-aortic node sampling. This code describes open pelvic lymphadenectomy.
No office rate
This code covers pelvic nodal dissection. 38780 is for a retroperitoneal lymph node dissection with a broader abdominal nodal field.
No office rate
This code covers pelvic nodes; 38760 is for superficial inguinal nodes in the groin.
Compare 38770 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Alabama →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$680.17
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 38770 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
4,767
- Code
- 38770
- Physician work
- 13.71
- Practice expense
- 6.11
- Malpractice
- 2.31
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 13.71 | × 1.000 | 13.7100 |
| Practice expense | 6.11 | × 0.875 | 5.3463 |
| Malpractice | 2.31 | × 0.566 | 1.3075 |
| Total RVUs | 20.3637 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alabama$680.17
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 13.71 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 6.11 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 2.31 | 0.566 |
(13.71 × 1 + 6.11 × 0.875 + 2.31 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $680.17
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
38770 billing questions
How does this differ from a laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy?
This code describes an open pelvic dissection. For a laparoscopic total pelvic lymphadenectomy, consider the laparoscopic code that matches the documented extent.
Which nodal regions support reporting this code?
The operative documentation should support dissection of pelvic nodes in the external iliac, hypogastric, and obturator regions. A procedure limited to groin nodes is coded differently.
Does the code have a global period?
Yes. It has a 90-day global period that includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How is bilateral performance reported?
CMS pays bilateral performance reported with modifier 50 at 150%. The operative record should support dissection on both sides.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery 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 indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
4,76438747,,Remove abdominal lymph nodes,A,,4.76,1.22,NA,1.22,,1.19,7.17,7.17,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,76538760,,Remove groin lymph nodes,A,,13.28,7.16,NA,7.16,,2.93,23.37,23.37,0,090,0.11,0.73,0.16,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,76638765,,Remove groin lymph nodes,A,,21.36,10.50,NA,10.50,,4.83,36.69,36.69,0,090,0.11,0.73,0.16,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,76738770,,Remove pelvis lymph nodes,A,,13.71,6.11,NA,6.11,,2.31,22.13,22.13,0,090,0.11,0.73,0.16,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,76838780,,Remove abdomen lymph nodes,A,,17.26,8.48,NA,8.48,,3.57,29.31,29.31,0,090,0.11,0.73,0.16,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,76938790,,Inject for lymphatic x-ray,A,,1.26,0.81,NA,0.81,,0.20,2.27,2.27,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,77038792,,Ra tracer id of sentinl node,A,,0.63,1.76,,0.12,,0.07,2.46,0.82,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1ADDENDUM E. FINAL CY 2026 GEOGRAPHIC PRACTICE COST INDICES (GPCIs) BY STATE AND MEDICARE LOCALITY,,,,,,
2,,,,,,
3Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC),State,Locality Number,Locality Name,2026 PW GPCI (with 1.0 Floor)***,2026 PE GPCI,2026 MP GPCI
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515