No office rate
Choose 55550 for laparoscopic spermatic-vein ligation. Code 55530 describes open varicocele treatment.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
55550 Varicocele surgery Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Reports laparoscopic ligation of spermatic veins to treat a varicocele, commonly for selected patients with infertility concerns or scrotal discomfort. Compare 55550 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 55550 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
$367.12
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 surgery
About 55550: Laparoscopic spermatic vein ligation
Reports laparoscopic ligation of spermatic veins to treat a varicocele, commonly for selected patients with infertility concerns or scrotal discomfort.
A urologist uses a laparoscopic approach to identify and ligate spermatic veins associated with a varicocele. The procedure may be considered for patients whose varicocele is linked to infertility evaluation or persistent scrotal discomfort. It is typically performed in a hospital or ambulatory surgical setting, rather than as an office procedure.
Report this code when the operative documentation supports laparoscopic spermatic-vein ligation; the approach distinguishes it from open varicocele procedures. Document the indication, laterality, laparoscopic technique, and veins treated. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150% under the CMS rule. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 55550
- 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 RVU7.02 · 59%
- Practice expense (office) RVU3.95 · 33%
- Malpractice RVU0.91 · 8%
19
Medicare services in 2024 · #5951 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.
55550 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
55535 describes complicated open varicocele treatment; 55550 is selected for the laparoscopic approach.
No office rate
Use 55540 when spermatic-vein treatment is performed with hernia repair. Use 55550 for laparoscopic ligation without that combined hernia procedure.
Compare 55550 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
$367.12
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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 55550 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,355
- Code
- 55550
- Physician work
- 7.02
- Practice expense
- 3.95
- Malpractice
- 0.91
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 7.02 | × 1.000 | 7.0200 |
| Practice expense | 3.95 | × 0.875 | 3.4563 |
| Malpractice | 0.91 | × 0.566 | 0.5151 |
| Total RVUs | 10.9913 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alabama$367.12
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 7.02 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 3.95 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 0.91 | 0.566 |
(7.02 × 1 + 3.95 × 0.875 + 0.91 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $367.12
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.
55550 billing questions
How does 55550 differ from 55530?
55550 describes laparoscopic spermatic-vein ligation. Code 55530 is an open varicocele procedure, so the documented operative approach is the key distinction.
When should modifier 50 be reported?
Report modifier 50 when the laparoscopic ligation is performed bilaterally. CMS pays bilateral procedures at 150% under this code's rule.
Does the code include routine postoperative care?
Yes. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation.
When is 55540 a better fit?
55540 describes spermatic-vein treatment performed with hernia repair. It is not the code for laparoscopic ligation alone.
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.
6,35255530,,Revise spermatic cord veins,A,,5.61,3.44,NA,3.44,,0.73,9.78,9.78,0,090,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,35355535,,Revise spermatic cord veins,A,,7.01,3.99,NA,3.99,,0.91,11.91,11.91,0,090,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,35455540,,Revise hernia & sperm veins,A,,8.09,5.92,NA,5.92,,2.16,16.17,16.17,0,090,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,35555550,,Laparo ligate spermatic vein,A,,7.02,3.95,NA,3.95,,0.91,11.88,11.88,0,090,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,35655559,,Unlstd laps px sprmatic cord,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,YYY,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,2,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,35755600,,Vesiculotomy,A,,6.83,3.96,NA,3.96,,0.88,11.67,11.67,0,090,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,35855605,,Vesiculotomy complicated,A,,8.54,4.79,NA,4.79,,1.10,14.43,14.43,0,090,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,0,0,0,9,,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