$453.22
Consider this neighboring code when the operative report documents biopsy work during ureter endoscopy; this code represents the endoscopy service specified for 50970.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
50970 Ureter endoscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Reports endoscopic examination of the ureter, with code selection guided by the operative approach and whether biopsy, treatment, or catheter work is performed. Compare 50970 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 50970 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
$325.21
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.
Urology
About 50970: Endoscopic ureter examination
Reports endoscopic examination of the ureter, with code selection guided by the operative approach and whether biopsy, treatment, or catheter work is performed.
A urologist uses an endoscope to inspect the ureter, the passage that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder. The procedure is generally performed in a facility setting, where the operative report identifies the access route and the portion of the ureter examined. The 2024 Medicare volume data show facility services for this code and no office services.
Select the code that matches the documented endoscopic service and any separately described biopsy, treatment, or catheter work; nearby codes distinguish those services. The record should identify the indication, access route, findings, and work completed. This code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 50970
- 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 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 RVU6.95 · 71%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.88 · 19%
- Malpractice RVU0.90 · 9%
20
Medicare services in 2024 · #5926 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.
50970 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
$457.41
This neighboring code describes ureter endoscopy with treatment work. Distinguish it from 50970 by the procedure actually documented.
No office rate
This code is associated with catheter work during ureter endoscopy. Use the operative details to determine whether that service, rather than the service specified by 50970, was performed.
Compare 50970 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
$325.21
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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 50970 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,010
- Code
- 50970
- Physician work
- 6.95
- Practice expense
- 1.88
- Malpractice
- 0.90
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 6.95 | × 1.012 | 7.0334 |
| Practice expense | 1.88 | × 1.064 | 2.0003 |
| Malpractice | 0.90 | × 0.781 | 0.7029 |
| Total RVUs | 9.7366 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Colorado$325.21
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 6.95 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 1.88 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 0.9 | 0.781 |
(6.95 × 1.012 + 1.88 × 1.064 + 0.9 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $325.21
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.
50970 billing questions
How do I distinguish this code from the nearby endoscopy codes?
Use the operative report to identify the approach and whether the ureter was only examined or additional work was performed. Codes in the nearby family describe services such as biopsy, treatment, or catheter work.
Can I report a biopsy or treatment code with this examination?
Choose the code that represents the documented work performed rather than treating a biopsy or treatment as inherent in an examination. The operative note should specify the additional service.
How is bilateral ureter endoscopy reported under the CMS facts?
For a bilateral procedure, modifier 50 is paid at 150% under the stated CMS rule.
What happens when another procedure is 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.
What documentation supports assistant-at-surgery payment?
The record must document the medical necessity of the assistant. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code under the stated CMS rules.
Does the 0-day global period include same-day care?
Yes. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the 0-day global period.
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.
6,00750955,,Ureter endoscopy & biopsy,A,,6.57,5.88,,1.85,,0.85,13.30,9.27,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,1,0,0,0,9,50951,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,00850957,,Ureter endoscopy & treatment,A,,6.61,5.96,,1.86,,0.85,13.42,9.32,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,1,0,0,0,9,50951,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,00950961,,Ureter endoscopy & treatment,A,,5.89,5.48,,1.71,,0.76,12.13,8.36,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,1,0,0,0,9,50951,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,01050970,,Ureter endoscopy,A,,6.95,1.88,NA,1.88,,0.90,9.73,9.73,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,01150972,,Ureter endoscopy & catheter,A,,6.71,1.83,NA,1.83,,0.87,9.41,9.41,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,01250974,,Ureter endoscopy & biopsy,A,,8.93,2.30,NA,2.30,,1.15,12.38,12.38,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,1,0,0,0,9,50970,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,01350976,,Ureter endoscopy & treatment,A,,8.80,2.27,NA,2.27,,1.14,12.21,12.21,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,1,0,0,0,9,50970,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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