$105.77
Use 50684 for injection through a ureteral catheter. 50690 describes injection through a ureterostomy or established nephrostomy.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
50684 Ureteral imaging Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Reports contrast injection through a ureteral catheter to outline the ureter or renal pelvis during retrograde imaging, commonly in urologic procedures. Compare 50684 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 50684 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
$114.49
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$43.18
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.
Urologic imaging
About 50684: Retrograde ureteral contrast injection
Reports contrast injection through a ureteral catheter to outline the ureter or renal pelvis during retrograde imaging, commonly in urologic procedures.
A urologist injects contrast through a catheter positioned in the ureter to outline the ureter and, when needed, the renal pelvis on imaging. This retrograde study can help assess the collecting system during cystoscopy or another urologic procedure, such as evaluation of a suspected narrowing, obstruction, or filling defect. The code represents the injection service; imaging supervision and interpretation may be represented separately when supported and reported under the applicable imaging code.
Documentation should identify the catheter route, the side examined, the contrast injection, and the clinical purpose. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. 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% multiple-procedure reduction. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services are not paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 50684
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.74 · 19%
- Practice expense (office) RVU3.02 · 79%
- Malpractice RVU0.08 · 2%
615
Medicare services in 2024 · #3370 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.
50684 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
$252.15
52005 describes the cystourethroscopic catheterization service, which may include ureteropyelography. 50684 describes injection through a ureteral catheter.
$72.84
74420 represents the radiologic examination and interpretation of retrograde urography; 50684 represents the contrast injection procedure.
Compare 50684 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
$114.49
Facility
$43.18
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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 50684 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
5,965
- Code
- 50684
- Physician work
- 0.74
- Practice expense
- 3.02
- Malpractice
- 0.08
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.74 | × 1.000 | 0.7400 |
| Practice expense | 3.02 | × 0.875 | 2.6425 |
| Malpractice | 0.08 | × 0.566 | 0.0453 |
| Total RVUs | 3.4278 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Alabama$114.49
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.74 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 3.02 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 0.08 | 0.566 |
(0.74 × 1 + 3.02 × 0.875 + 0.08 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $114.49
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.74 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.58 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 0.08 | 0.566 |
(0.74 × 1 + 0.58 × 0.875 + 0.08 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $43.18
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.
50684 billing questions
How does 50684 differ from 50690?
50684 describes contrast injection through a ureteral catheter. 50690 is the related route through a ureterostomy or an established nephrostomy.
Is the imaging interpretation included?
50684 represents the injection procedure. Radiologic supervision and interpretation may be reported separately when the imaging service is performed and documented.
How should bilateral services be reported?
CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Document the ureteral side or sides examined.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid for this service?
CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for 50684. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
How is 50684 different from 52005?
50684 describes the contrast injection through a ureteral catheter. 52005 describes cystourethroscopy with ureteral catheterization, with or without ureteropyelography; distinguish the reported service from the endoscopic catheterization.
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.
5,96250630,,Removal of ureter stone,A,,15.80,6.16,NA,6.16,,2.04,24.00,24.00,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,96350650,,Removal of ureter,A,,18.35,7.04,NA,7.04,,2.49,27.88,27.88,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,96450660,,Removal of ureter,A,,20.49,7.47,NA,7.47,,2.63,30.59,30.59,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,96550684,,Injection for ureter x-ray,A,,0.74,3.02,,0.58,,0.08,3.84,1.40,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,96650686,,Measure ureter pressure,A,,1.47,2.75,,0.75,,0.19,4.41,2.41,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,96750688,,Change of ureter tube/stent,A,,1.17,0.83,NA,0.83,,0.13,2.13,2.13,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,96850690,,Injection for ureter x-ray,A,,1.13,2.25,,0.61,,0.12,3.50,1.86,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,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