No office rate
44140 reports the partial colectomy with anastomosis; 44701 is an additional code for colonic lavage performed during the operation.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
44701 Colonic lavage Medicare reimbursement rates in Delaware
Intraoperative colonic lavage clears stool from the colon during selected colorectal operations and is reported as an add-on to the primary procedure. Compare 44701 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Delaware.
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 44701 in Delaware?
Delaware 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
$149.79
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Delaware
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.
Colorectal surgery
About 44701: Intraoperative colonic lavage
Intraoperative colonic lavage clears stool from the colon during selected colorectal operations and is reported as an add-on to the primary procedure.
During colorectal surgery, the surgeon introduces irrigation solution into the colon and evacuates its contents. The service may be used when a stool-loaded colon needs clearing during an operation, including selected cases of obstruction before reconstruction. It is performed in the operating room as part of surgical care, rather than as stool testing or donor-material preparation.
Report 44701 only when colonic lavage is actually performed and an eligible primary procedure is also reported; it is not a standalone service. The operative note should describe the lavage, including irrigation and evacuation, and why colonic clearance was needed. CMS treats this as an add-on paid within the primary procedure’s global period, so it is associated with that procedure’s global period rather than billed independently.
CMS billing rules for 44701
- Global period
- Add-on code: billed only together with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure's global period.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU3.02 · 66%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.73 · 16%
- Malpractice RVU0.81 · 18%
34
Medicare services in 2024 · #5584 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.
44701 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Delaware, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
44145 reports a partial colectomy with coloproctostomy. Report 44701 as an add-on only when colonic lavage is also performed.
Compare 44701 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
Delaware →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$149.79
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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 44701 in Delaware.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
5,440
- Code
- 44701
- Physician work
- 3.02
- Practice expense
- 0.73
- Malpractice
- 0.81
GPCI2026.csv
40
- Locality
- Delaware
- Physician work
- 1.005
- Practice expense
- 0.988
- Malpractice
- 0.899
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 3.02 | × 1.005 | 3.0351 |
| Practice expense | 0.73 | × 0.988 | 0.7212 |
| Malpractice | 0.81 | × 0.899 | 0.7282 |
| Total RVUs | 4.4845 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Delaware$149.79
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 3.02 | 1.005 |
| Practice expense | 0.73 | 0.988 |
| Malpractice | 0.81 | 0.899 |
(3.02 × 1.005 + 0.73 × 0.988 + 0.81 × 0.899) × $33.4009 = $149.79
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.
44701 billing questions
Can 44701 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on and must be reported with an eligible primary procedure.
What documentation supports reporting 44701?
Document that colonic lavage was performed, the irrigation and evacuation steps, and the clinical reason for clearing the colon.
Is routine irrigation during surgery enough to report this code?
The record should support a distinct colonic lavage service, not merely mention routine operative irrigation.
How does 44701 relate to the primary procedure’s global period?
CMS pays this add-on within the primary procedure’s global period, and it must be billed together with that primary procedure.
Is 44701 the code for preparing fecal microbiota material?
No. It describes lavage performed in the colon during surgery; fecal microbiota preparation is a separate service.
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.
5,43744661,,Repair bowel-bladder fistula,A,,26.67,9.85,NA,9.85,,5.82,42.34,42.34,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,43844680,,Surgical revision intestine,A,,17.51,8.02,NA,8.02,,4.69,30.22,30.22,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,43944700,,Suspend bowel w/prosthesis,A,,17.04,7.30,NA,7.30,,3.10,27.44,27.44,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,44044701,,Intraop colon lavage add-on,A,,3.02,0.73,NA,0.73,,0.81,4.56,4.56,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,44144705,,Prepare fecal microbiota,I,+,1.38,1.92,,0.31,,0.15,3.45,1.84,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,4424470F,,Icd counseling provided,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
5,44344715,,Prepare donor intestine,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
4109102,FL,03,FORT LAUDERDALE,1.000,1.013,1.808
4209102,FL,04,MIAMI,1.000,1.041,2.529
4309102,FL,99,REST OF FLORIDA,1.000,0.956,1.503