Billing code 38780: Abdominal node dissectionMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports extensive transabdominal retroperitoneal node removal across pelvic, aortic, and renal fields for selected malignancies requiring broad nodal clearance.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 38780 in Alaska.
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 9 sections
What 38780 covers
Code 38780 represents an extensive transabdominal operation to remove lymphatic tissue across the retroperitoneum, reaching pelvic, aortic, and renal nodal fields rather than a limited regional basin. Urologists and surgical oncologists commonly perform it for selected cancers requiring broad retroperitoneal clearance, including testicular malignancy; the operative report should establish the extent and nodal territories treated.
Report 38780 when the surgeon performs that extensive dissection, not for isolated sampling or a more confined pelvic or abdominal nodal clearance. Document the indication, approach, and nodal boundaries, and distinguish the work from other procedures performed in the same session. Medicare treats it as major surgery: the day-before preoperative visit and related care through 90 days after surgery are included. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures receive the standard reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, while team surgery is 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.
38780 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | Unavailable | $1,232.10 |
How the 38780 rate is calculated
Each of 38780’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 · 38780
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 17.26Practice expense 8.48Malpractice 3.57
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 38780
38780 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 38780
Abdominal node dissection
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.11/0.73/0.16 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 38780
Abdominal node dissection
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
38780 without 51 · national facility
$978.98
Abdominal node dissection
38780-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$489.49
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%).
38780 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
38780 vs 38747 vs 38770 vs 38746: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 38747Abdominal lymphadenectomy
- Choose 38747 for regional abdominal nodal clearance. Use 38780 when the operation involves extensive retroperitoneal dissection across pelvic, aortic, and renal fields.
- 38770Pelvic lymphadenectomy
- 38770 is directed to pelvic nodal groups. It does not describe the broader retroperitoneal dissection represented by 38780.
- 38746Lymph node dissection
- 38746 covers regional thoracic nodal dissection, such as mediastinal or periesophageal fields; 38780 is for extensive abdominal retroperitoneal fields.
38780 billing questions
How is 38780 distinguished from 38747?
Use 38780 for broad retroperitoneal clearance reaching pelvic, aortic, and renal nodal fields. Code 38747 describes regional abdominal node removal rather than this extensive dissection.
Can modifier 50 be appended for bilateral work?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 should not be used.
What postoperative care is included?
The major-surgery global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care for 90 days.
May an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
What documentation supports choosing 38780?
The operative report should identify the extensive retroperitoneal dissection and the nodal territories addressed, including whether pelvic, aortic, and renal fields were treated.
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
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