Billing code 48100: Pancreatic biopsyMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Report 48100 when a surgeon obtains pancreatic tissue for diagnosis through open operative exposure rather than needle sampling or pancreatic resection.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 48100 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 48100 covers
An open pancreatic biopsy obtains tissue from the pancreas after the surgeon exposes it through an operative incision. General surgeons and surgical oncologists may perform it in an operating room when tissue diagnosis is needed and a needle approach is unsuitable or an open operation provides access. The specimen is submitted for pathologic examination; this code describes the surgeon's biopsy work, not the microscopic interpretation.
Select 48100 for an open biopsy rather than a needle sample or an operation that removes or debrides pancreatic tissue. The operative report should identify the pancreatic target, open approach, biopsy purpose, and tissue obtained. CMS assigns a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team-surgery payment 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.
48100 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | Unavailable | $1,042.65 |
How the 48100 rate is calculated
Each of 48100’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 · 48100
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 14.10Practice expense 7.61Malpractice 3.56
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 48100
48100 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 48100
Pancreatic biopsy
| 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) | 0.09/0.81/0.10 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 48100
Pancreatic biopsy
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
48100 without 51 · national facility
$844.04
Pancreatic biopsy
48100-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$422.02
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%).
48100 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
48100 vs 48102 vs 48120 vs 48105 vs 48140: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 48102Pancreatic biopsy
- 48100 describes biopsy through open exposure; 48102 is the needle-biopsy alternative.
- 48120Pancreatic lesion excision
- Choose 48120 when a pancreatic lesion is removed. Choose 48100 when the surgeon obtains tissue for diagnosis without coding the service as lesion removal.
- 48105Pancreatic trauma surgery
- 48105 describes pancreatic resection or debridement. 48100 is for diagnostic tissue sampling, not removal or debridement of pancreatic tissue.
- 48140Pancreas resection
- 48140 is a partial pancreatic removal procedure; 48100 is a biopsy when the operative service is tissue sampling rather than partial resection.
48100 billing questions
When should 48100 be chosen over 48102?
Use 48100 for tissue obtained through open surgical exposure. Use 48102 when the pancreatic biopsy is performed with a needle.
Is pathology interpretation included in 48100?
No. This code describes the surgeon's open tissue sampling; microscopic interpretation is a separate pathology service when performed and reported by the pathologist.
Should modifier 50 be appended?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code because of the descriptor or anatomy.
What operative documentation supports 48100?
Document the open approach, pancreatic target, diagnostic purpose, and tissue obtained. The record should distinguish biopsy from removal or debridement of pancreatic tissue.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while team-surgery payment 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 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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