$223.38–$286.84
51600 describes an injection for cystography or voiding urethrocystography. Compare the documented procedure with each code's service rather than relying only on the general purpose of bladder imaging.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
51610 Bladder injection Medicare reimbursement rates in California
Reports injection of contrast into the bladder to support x-ray imaging, separate from the radiographic acquisition and interpretation. Compare 51610 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in California.
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 51610 in California?
California has 29 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 29 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$135.64–$170.01
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $34.37 per service.
Facility setting
$58.39–$68.38
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $9.99 per service.
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.
Where 51610 pays more and less in California
29 payment localities
$135.64 to $170.01
Urology procedure
About 51610: Bladder contrast injection for radiography
Reports injection of contrast into the bladder to support x-ray imaging, separate from the radiographic acquisition and interpretation.
A clinician introduces contrast into the bladder so it can be assessed on x-ray. The contrast is commonly delivered through a urinary catheter. This service may be part of a cystographic evaluation when the ordering clinician needs to assess the bladder, such as when investigating a suspected leak. Urologists and radiologists may perform the injection in a hospital, imaging department, or other procedure setting. The radiographic images and their interpretation are distinct from the injection service.
Report 51610 when the documented bladder contrast injection matches this service; the record should identify the clinical reason, the injection performed, and the associated imaging study. 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. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and co-surgeon and team-surgery reporting are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 51610
- 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU1.02 · 27%
- Practice expense (office) RVU2.70 · 70%
- Malpractice RVU0.12 · 3%
3.6K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2052 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.
51610 compared with similar codes
Office rates for California, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
51605 is identified as a bladder x-ray preparation service. Use 51610 for the injection service when that is what the record supports.
$44.38–$55.86
74430 represents the radiographic cystography study, while 51610 represents the bladder contrast injection. They describe different parts of the imaging encounter.
Compare 51610 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.
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | Office $136.00 | Facility $58.76 |
| Chico | Office $135.64 | Facility $58.39 |
| El Centro | Office $135.66 | Facility $58.41 |
| Fresno | Office $135.64 | Facility $58.39 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | Office $135.64 | Facility $58.39 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty) | Office $144.81 | Facility $61.44 |
| Madera | Office $135.64 | Facility $58.39 |
| Merced | Office $135.64 | Facility $58.39 |
| Modesto | Office $135.64 | Facility $58.39 |
| Napa | Office $157.11 | Facility $64.22 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | Office $144.12 | Facility $60.81 |
| Redding | Office $135.64 | Facility $58.39 |
| Rest Of California | Office $135.64 | Facility $58.39 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | Office $136.94 | Facility $59.70 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Office $142.33 | Facility $60.36 |
| Salinas | Office $141.79 | Facility $60.11 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | Office $145.12 | Facility $60.83 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty) | Office $166.30 | Facility $66.93 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty) | Office $166.17 | Facility $66.80 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty) | Office $170.01 | Facility $68.38 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty) | Office $169.45 | Facility $67.82 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Office $139.51 | Facility $59.24 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | Office $146.50 | Facility $60.88 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Office $142.32 | Facility $60.15 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | Office $147.98 | Facility $61.44 |
| Stockton | Office $135.64 | Facility $58.39 |
| Vallejo | Office $156.92 | Facility $64.03 |
| Visalia | Office $135.64 | Facility $58.39 |
| Yuba City | Office $135.64 | Facility $58.39 |
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51610 billing questions
How does 51610 differ from 51600?
Both involve bladder-related contrast injection for x-ray evaluation. Choose the code that matches the documented injection service; do not select 51610 based only on the fact that a cystogram was performed.
Does 51610 include the x-ray study?
The code describes the injection service, not the radiographic image acquisition or interpretation. Report the imaging service separately when it is performed and separately reportable.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
How does the multiple-procedure rule affect payment?
For procedures performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction to the others.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted for 51610. CMS does not permit co-surgeon or team-surgery reporting.
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.
6,04151597,,Removal of pelvic structures,A,,41.79,13.56,NA,13.56,,5.73,61.08,61.08,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,04251600,,Injection for bladder x-ray,A,,0.86,5.26,,0.17,,0.09,6.21,1.12,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,04351605,,Preparation for bladder xray,A,,0.62,0.36,NA,0.36,,0.07,1.05,1.05,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,04451610,,Injection for bladder x-ray,A,,1.02,2.70,,0.59,,0.12,3.84,1.73,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,04551700,,Irrigation of bladder,A,,0.59,1.68,,0.12,,0.07,2.34,0.78,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,04651701,,Insert bladder catheter,A,,0.49,0.80,,0.10,,0.07,1.36,0.66,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,04751702,,Insert temp bladder cath,A,,0.49,1.40,,0.12,,0.07,1.96,0.68,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00