No office rate
50220 describes nephrectomy without the complicating circumstances specified for 50225. Choose 50225 when prior surgery, radiotherapy, or infection makes the operation complex and the operative report supports that distinction.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
50225 Nephrectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Alaska
Reports a complex kidney removal when prior surgery, radiotherapy, or infection makes nephrectomy more difficult than a routine removal. Compare 50225 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alaska.
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 50225 in Alaska?
Alaska 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
$1391.04
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alaska*
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 surgery
About 50225: Complex nephrectomy after complicating conditions
Reports a complex kidney removal when prior surgery, radiotherapy, or infection makes nephrectomy more difficult than a routine removal.
This code describes a complex nephrectomy, including partial ureter removal when performed as part of the kidney removal. It is used when prior surgery, radiotherapy, or infection complicates the operation; examples include dense operative scarring or an infected kidney. Urologists typically perform the procedure in a hospital operating room. The operative report should identify the complicating condition and explain how it affected the dissection or removal, rather than relying on the diagnosis alone.
Select this code for the complex removal rather than routine nephrectomy when the documented circumstances support the added complexity. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 50225
- 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 RVU21.33 · 67%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.64 · 24%
- Malpractice RVU2.75 · 9%
53
Medicare services in 2024 · #5322 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.
50225 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alaska, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
50230 describes radical nephrectomy with regional lymphadenectomy. It is selected for that operative extent, rather than for complexity alone.
No office rate
50234 is for removal of the kidney and ureter through the same incision. Use 50225 for complex nephrectomy when the operative service is not that more extensive kidney-and-ureter removal.
No office rate
50240 describes partial nephrectomy, preserving part of the kidney. Code 50225 represents complex removal of the kidney.
Compare 50225 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
Alaska* →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1391.04
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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 50225 in Alaska*.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
5,886
- Code
- 50225
- Physician work
- 21.33
- Practice expense
- 7.64
- Malpractice
- 2.75
GPCI2026.csv
5
- Locality
- Alaska*
- Physician work
- 1.500
- Practice expense
- 1.065
- Malpractice
- 0.551
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 21.33 | × 1.500 | 31.9950 |
| Practice expense | 7.64 | × 1.065 | 8.1366 |
| Malpractice | 2.75 | × 0.551 | 1.5153 |
| Total RVUs | 41.6469 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alaska*$1391.04
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 21.33 | 1.5 |
| Practice expense | 7.64 | 1.065 |
| Malpractice | 2.75 | 0.551 |
(21.33 × 1.5 + 7.64 × 1.065 + 2.75 × 0.551) × $33.4009 = $1391.04
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.
50225 billing questions
How does this differ from routine nephrectomy code 50220?
Use 50225 when prior surgery, radiotherapy, or infection complicates the kidney removal. Use 50220 for a nephrectomy without those documented complicating circumstances.
What documentation supports the complex code?
Document the prior surgery, radiotherapy, or infection and describe how it made the nephrectomy more difficult. A diagnosis without an operative explanation may not establish the complexity.
Is partial ureter removal separately reported?
Partial ureter removal performed as part of the nephrectomy is included in the service. A more extensive kidney-and-ureter removal is represented by a different procedure code.
How is bilateral reporting handled?
For a bilateral procedure, report modifier 50; CMS pays the service at 150%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; CMS does not permit team-surgery payment for this code.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
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.
5,88350205,,Renal bx surg exposure kdn,A,,11.98,6.39,NA,6.39,,2.98,21.35,21.35,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,8845020F,,Txmnts 2 phys/qhp by 1 mon,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
5,88550220,,Remove kidney open,A,,18.21,7.59,NA,7.59,,3.04,28.84,28.84,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,88650225,,Removal kidney open complex,A,,21.33,7.64,NA,7.64,,2.75,31.72,31.72,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,88750230,,Removal kidney open radical,A,,23.21,7.73,NA,7.73,,3.27,34.21,34.21,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,88850234,,Removal of kidney & ureter,A,,23.45,8.14,NA,8.14,,3.16,34.75,34.75,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,88950236,,Removal of kidney & ureter,A,,26.27,9.50,NA,9.50,,3.37,39.14,39.14,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
801112,CA,54,BAKERSFIELD,1.019,1.096,0.609