No office rate
Both codes describe vesiculotomy. Choose 55600 for the uncomplicated service and 55605 when the operative service is documented as complicated.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
55600 Vesiculotomy Medicare reimbursement rates in California
An uncomplicated operative incision into a seminal vesicle, reported when the surgeon treats the gland without documenting a complicated vesiculotomy. Compare 55600 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 55600 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
No supported rate
Facility setting
$392.73–$459.71
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $66.98 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 55600 pays more and less in California
Urology surgery
About 55600: Uncomplicated seminal vesicle incision
An uncomplicated operative incision into a seminal vesicle, reported when the surgeon treats the gland without documenting a complicated vesiculotomy.
Vesiculotomy is an operative incision into a seminal vesicle, a gland behind the bladder that contributes fluid to semen. A urologist performs the procedure to access or treat a seminal-vesicle problem while leaving the gland in place, rather than removing it. This uncommon male genitourinary operation is generally performed in an operating room. The operative report should identify the indication, the treated side, and the work performed.
Report 55600 when the documentation supports an uncomplicated vesiculotomy; use 55605 when the operation is documented as complicated. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For procedures performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery is paid only when medical necessity is documented; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 55600
- 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 is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU6.83 · 59%
- Practice expense (office) RVU3.96 · 34%
- Malpractice RVU0.88 · 8%
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.
55600 compared with similar codes
Office rates for California, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
55600 involves an incision into the seminal vesicle; 55650 represents removal of the seminal vesicle.
No office rate
55600 describes vesiculotomy, while 55680 is used for excision of a lesion of the seminal vesicle.
Compare 55600 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 Unavailable | Facility $395.33 |
| Chico | Office Unavailable | Facility $392.73 |
| El Centro | Office Unavailable | Facility $392.87 |
| Fresno | Office Unavailable | Facility $392.73 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | Office Unavailable | Facility $392.73 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $413.47 |
| Madera | Office Unavailable | Facility $392.73 |
| Merced | Office Unavailable | Facility $392.73 |
| Modesto | Office Unavailable | Facility $392.73 |
| Napa | Office Unavailable | Facility $431.76 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | Office Unavailable | Facility $409.17 |
| Redding | Office Unavailable | Facility $392.73 |
| Rest Of California | Office Unavailable | Facility $392.73 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | Office Unavailable | Facility $402.27 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Office Unavailable | Facility $405.92 |
| Salinas | Office Unavailable | Facility $404.25 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | Office Unavailable | Facility $409.09 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $449.79 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $448.79 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $459.71 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $455.62 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Office Unavailable | Facility $398.41 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | Office Unavailable | Facility $409.38 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Office Unavailable | Facility $404.49 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | Office Unavailable | Facility $413.15 |
| Stockton | Office Unavailable | Facility $392.73 |
| Vallejo | Office Unavailable | Facility $430.32 |
| Visalia | Office Unavailable | Facility $392.73 |
| Yuba City | Office Unavailable | Facility $392.73 |
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55600 billing questions
How is 55600 distinguished from 55605?
Use 55600 for a vesiculotomy documented as uncomplicated. Use 55605 when the operative service is documented as complicated.
Does 55600 include removal of the seminal vesicle?
No. Vesiculotomy describes an incision that leaves the gland in place; removal is represented by a different procedure code.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How is a bilateral procedure reported?
For a bilateral vesiculotomy, report modifier 50; Medicare pays the procedure at 150%.
Can an assistant or another surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only with documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 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.
6,35455540,,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
6,35955650,,Remove sperm duct pouch,A,,12.33,5.59,NA,5.59,,1.59,19.51,19.51,0,090,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,36055680,,Remove sperm pouch lesion,A,,5.53,3.41,NA,3.41,,0.70,9.64,9.64,0,090,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00