Billing code 34502: Cava reconstructionMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware

Reports operative reconstruction of the vena cava, such as repair after tumor removal, major injury, or a defect that interrupts normal venous flow.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 20261 payment locality188 Medicare services in 2024

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 34502 in Delaware.

—Office (non-facility)
$1,395.99Hospital or facility

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

We’ll open 34502 for the payment locality that covers the ZIP.

On this page 9 sections
  1. Rate in Delaware
  2. What 34502 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. How it’s calculated
  5. Payment rules
  6. Similar codes
  7. Related codes
  8. Billing questions
  9. Sources

What 34502 covers

Code 34502 represents operative rebuilding of the vena cava after a segment is damaged, narrowed, or removed. The surgeon may restore continuity with direct repair, a patch, or an interposition graft, depending on the defect. Typical cases include reconstruction after removal of renal cancer extending into the inferior vena cava or repair after major abdominal trauma. Vascular surgeons and urologic or surgical oncology surgeons perform the procedure in an operating room, often during abdominal or retroperitoneal surgery.

Report the code when the operation includes reconstruction of the vena cava, rather than removal of a clot alone. Document the affected cava segment, defect, reconstruction method and material, and related procedures such as tumor removal. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for the single vena cava. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon and team-surgery payment are 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.

34502 in Delaware

34502 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
DelawareUnavailable$1,395.99

How the 34502 rate is calculated

Each of 34502’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 · 34502

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work27.37

27.37 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense8.62

8.62 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice6.42

6.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

42.4100

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,416.53

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 34502

34502 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 34502

Cava reconstruction

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.09/0.84/0.07Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 34502

Cava reconstruction

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.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

34502 without 51 · national facility

$1,416.53

Cava reconstruction

34502-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$708.27

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%).

When to use modifier 51

34502 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

  • 34502

    Cava reconstruction27.37 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 35221

    Vessel repair25.95 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 35251

    Vessel repair31.11 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 35281

    Vessel repair29.31 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

35221Vessel repair
This code describes direct repair of an intra-abdominal blood vessel generally. Choose 34502 when the reconstructed vessel is the vena cava.
35251Vessel repair
This code describes intra-abdominal vessel repair using a vein graft. Code 34502 specifically identifies vena cava reconstruction.
35281Vessel repair
This code describes intra-abdominal vessel repair using a non-vein graft. Code 34502 is specific to reconstruction of the vena cava.

34502 billing questions

When is 34502 appropriate instead of a general vessel-repair code?

Use 34502 when the operation reconstructs the vena cava. General intra-abdominal vessel-repair codes describe other vessels or circumstances and should not replace this vena-cava-specific code.

Does removal of a vena cava clot alone support 34502?

No. The operative report should show that the vena cava was reconstructed, not merely that a thrombus was removed.

Can 34502 be reported with tumor removal?

It may be performed during an operation removing a tumor involving the vena cava. Document the reconstruction as a distinct operative service and describe its relationship to the tumor procedure.

Should modifier 50 be used for vena cava reconstruction?

No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for the single vena cava.

What postoperative care is included in the global period?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made for 34502. Co-surgeon and team-surgery payment 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 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
RVUs for 34502PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,194 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for DelawareGPCI2026.csv, line 40 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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