No office rate
Use 50526 when fistula closure includes partial nephrectomy; 50525 describes nephrovisceral fistula closure without that resection.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
50526 Fistula closure Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Surgical closure of an abnormal connection between the kidney and a visceral organ when treatment also includes partial removal of the kidney. Compare 50526 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Colorado.
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 50526 in Colorado?
Colorado 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
$1457.95
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Colorado
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 50526: Nephrovisceral fistula closure with partial nephrectomy
Surgical closure of an abnormal connection between the kidney and a visceral organ when treatment also includes partial removal of the kidney.
This operation closes an abnormal passage between the kidney and an adjacent visceral organ, such as a nephrocolic fistula, and includes partial nephrectomy. A urologist typically performs the procedure in an operating room when the fistula and involved kidney tissue require operative treatment. The operative report should establish the connection being closed and document the partial kidney resection performed as part of the repair.
Report 50526 when the nephrovisceral fistula is closed with partial nephrectomy; closure without partial nephrectomy is represented by 50525. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. If multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Bilateral adjustment is inappropriate. CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 50526
- 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU25.65 · 58%
- Practice expense (office) RVU11.60 · 26%
- Malpractice RVU6.85 · 16%
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.
50526 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
50520 is for a nephrocutaneous fistula, which connects the kidney to the skin. 50526 addresses a connection to a visceral organ and includes partial nephrectomy.
No office rate
50500 repairs a kidney wound. It does not describe closure of a nephrovisceral fistula with partial nephrectomy.
Compare 50526 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
Colorado →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1457.95
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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 50526 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
5,929
- Code
- 50526
- Physician work
- 25.65
- Practice expense
- 11.60
- Malpractice
- 6.85
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 25.65 | × 1.012 | 25.9578 |
| Practice expense | 11.60 | × 1.064 | 12.3424 |
| Malpractice | 6.85 | × 0.781 | 5.3498 |
| Total RVUs | 43.6500 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Colorado$1457.95
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 25.65 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 11.6 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 6.85 | 0.781 |
(25.65 × 1.012 + 11.6 × 1.064 + 6.85 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $1457.95
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.
50526 billing questions
How does 50526 differ from 50525?
50526 is for closing a nephrovisceral fistula when partial nephrectomy is also performed. Use 50525 for closure without partial nephrectomy.
Can the partial nephrectomy be reported separately?
The partial nephrectomy is part of the service described by 50526. Document the resection and fistula repair in the operative report.
Should modifier 50 be appended for bilateral treatment?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
Can an assistant surgeon be paid?
CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment for 50526. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple-procedure rule, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to a 50% reduction.
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.
5,9265050F,,Plan 2 main dr by 1 month,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
5,92750520,,Close kidney-skin fistula,A,,18.41,9.47,NA,9.47,,4.91,32.79,32.79,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,92850525,,Close nephrovisceral fistula,A,,23.78,11.14,NA,11.14,,6.36,41.28,41.28,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,92950526,,Close nephrovisceral fistula,A,,25.65,11.60,NA,11.60,,6.85,44.10,44.10,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,93050540,,Revision of horseshoe kidney,A,,20.57,7.49,NA,7.49,,2.64,30.70,30.70,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,2,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,93150541,,Laparo ablate renal cyst,A,,16.44,5.99,NA,5.99,,2.15,24.58,24.58,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,93250542,,Laparo ablate renal mass,A,,20.83,7.73,NA,7.73,,2.72,31.28,31.28,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3401112,CA,69,VISALIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3501112,CA,70,YUBA CITY,1.017,1.096,0.536
3601112,CA,75,REST OF CALIFORNIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3704112,CO,01,COLORADO,1.012,1.064,0.781
3813102,CT,00,CONNECTICUT,1.020,1.077,1.210
3912202,DC,01,DC + MD/VA SUBURBS,1.054,1.178,1.113
4012102,DE,01,DELAWARE,1.005,0.988,0.899