$360.27
50951 represents diagnostic ureter endoscopy. Report 50980 when the operative record documents treatment during the endoscopic procedure.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
50980 Ureter endoscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Reports endoscopic treatment within the ureter, selected when the operative record documents a therapeutic procedure rather than diagnostic inspection alone. Compare 50980 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 50980 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
$292.23
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.
Urology
About 50980: Endoscopic ureter treatment
Reports endoscopic treatment within the ureter, selected when the operative record documents a therapeutic procedure rather than diagnostic inspection alone.
A urologist uses an endoscope to inspect the ureter and treat an identified ureteral condition during the same procedure. The operative report should make clear that treatment was performed, not merely that the ureter was examined. This service is typically performed in a procedural or operating-room setting; the specific treatment and ureteral site should be documented.
Select this code when the documented service matches its therapeutic endoscopy scope, rather than a diagnostic-only or biopsy service. Record the treated finding, the work performed, and the side involved. CMS assigns 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 multiple-procedure reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 50980
- 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
- Assistant at surgery is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU6.67 · 71%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.82 · 19%
- Malpractice RVU0.86 · 9%
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.
50980 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
$407.36
50955 is for ureter endoscopy with biopsy. Use 50980 for a therapeutic service rather than biopsy alone.
No office rate
Both are therapeutic ureter endoscopy codes. Choose between them based on the specific procedure documented and the applicable code descriptor.
Compare 50980 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
$292.23
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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 50980 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,014
- Code
- 50980
- Physician work
- 6.67
- Practice expense
- 1.82
- Malpractice
- 0.86
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 6.67 | × 1.000 | 6.6700 |
| Practice expense | 1.82 | × 0.875 | 1.5925 |
| Malpractice | 0.86 | × 0.566 | 0.4868 |
| Total RVUs | 8.7493 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alabama$292.23
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 6.67 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 1.82 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 0.86 | 0.566 |
(6.67 × 1 + 1.82 × 0.875 + 0.86 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $292.23
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.
50980 billing questions
When is this code selected instead of diagnostic ureter endoscopy?
Use this code when the operative record documents treatment performed during ureter endoscopy. Diagnostic inspection alone is represented by a diagnostic endoscopy code.
How does this differ from ureter endoscopy with biopsy?
Choose the biopsy code when tissue sampling is the documented service. This code represents therapeutic ureter endoscopy, not biopsy alone.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should identify the ureteral finding, the treatment actually performed, and the side treated. Documentation of endoscopic visualization alone does not establish a therapeutic service.
How are same-session procedures paid?
CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction to the others. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in this code's 0-day global period.
Can modifier 50 be reported for bilateral treatment?
CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. The record should support treatment on both sides.
When is an assistant-at-surgery service payable?
CMS pays an assistant at surgery only when documentation supports medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.
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.
6,01150972,,Ureter endoscopy & catheter,A,,6.71,1.83,NA,1.83,,0.87,9.41,9.41,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,01250974,,Ureter endoscopy & biopsy,A,,8.93,2.30,NA,2.30,,1.15,12.38,12.38,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,1,0,0,0,9,50970,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,01350976,,Ureter endoscopy & treatment,A,,8.80,2.27,NA,2.27,,1.14,12.21,12.21,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,1,0,0,0,9,50970,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,01450980,,Ureter endoscopy & treatment,A,,6.67,1.82,NA,1.82,,0.86,9.35,9.35,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,0155100F,,Rsk fx ref w/n 24 hrs xray,I,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,01651020,,Cystotomy/cystostomy w/fulg,A,,7.50,4.56,NA,4.56,,0.98,13.04,13.04,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,01751040,,Incise & drain bladder,A,,4.38,3.23,NA,3.23,,0.56,8.17,8.17,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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