Billing code 44960: AppendectomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Colorado
Open removal of a ruptured appendix is reported when the rupture is accompanied by an abscess or generalized peritonitis.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 44960 in Colorado.
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 44960 covers
This code describes open surgical removal of the appendix in a patient whose appendix has ruptured, producing an abscess or generalized peritonitis. A general or acute care surgeon typically performs the operation in a hospital operating room. The operative record should establish the rupture and the associated abscess or peritoneal infection, as well as the open approach and removal of the appendix.
Choose this code for the specified complicated presentation rather than the standard open appendectomy code; a laparoscopic approach is represented separately. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the following 90 days. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is not appropriate for the single appendix. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and 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.
44960 in Colorado
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | Unavailable | $818.46 |
How the 44960 rate is calculated
Each of 44960’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 · 44960
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work14.14
14.14 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.88
6.88 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice3.68
3.68 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
24.7000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$825.00
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 44960
44960 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 44960
Appendectomy
| 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 · 44960
Appendectomy
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
44960 without 51 · national facility
$825.00
Appendectomy
44960-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$412.50
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%).
44960 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 44950Appendectomy
- 44950 is the standard open appendectomy code. Use 44960 when the open appendectomy is for a ruptured appendix with an abscess or generalized peritonitis.
- 44970Appendectomy
- 44970 represents laparoscopic appendectomy. The operative approach distinguishes it from this open procedure.
- 44900Abscess drainage
- 44900 represents open incision and drainage of an appendiceal abscess. It is not the appendectomy code when the appendix is removed.
44960 billing questions
How does this differ from 44950?
Use 44960 for open appendectomy when rupture is accompanied by an abscess or generalized peritonitis. Code 44950 describes the standard open appendectomy.
Can 44970 be used for a ruptured appendix?
44970 represents laparoscopic appendectomy. Select the code that matches the documented operative approach and the applicable code definition.
Is drainage of the abscess separately reportable?
The code describes appendectomy in the specified complicated presentation. Do not separately report abscess drainage solely because drainage occurred as part of that operation; the record must support a distinct, separately reportable service.
Should modifier 50 be appended?
No. The appendix is a single structure, and modifier 50 is not appropriate.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.
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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