Billing code 44721: Donor intestine prepMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Reports backbench reconstruction of a donor intestine’s arterial supply before transplantation, when the graft requires an arterial anastomosis.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 44721 in Delaware.
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 44721 covers
Before intestinal transplantation, the transplant surgeon works on the donor graft outside the recipient’s body to reconstruct its arterial supply. This may involve connecting donor arterial vessels or incorporating a vessel graft to create a usable blood supply for the intestine. The work takes place during graft preparation, typically in the operating room while the organ is preserved for transplantation; it is not the recipient implantation itself.
Select this code when the documented backbench work includes an arterial anastomosis of the donor intestine. The operative report should identify the arterial reconstruction performed and support the number of anastomoses reported. Distinguish this work from venous reconstruction and from general donor-intestine preparation. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces payment for the other procedures to 50%.
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.
44721 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Unavailable | $338.70 |
How the 44721 rate is calculated
Each of 44721’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 · 44721
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 6.83Practice expense 1.66Malpractice 1.82
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 44721
The CMS indicators that decide how 44721 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 44721
Donor intestine prep
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| 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. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
44721 without 51 · national facility
$344.36
Donor intestine prep
44721-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$172.18
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%).
44721 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
44721 vs 44720 vs 44715 vs 44799: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 44720Intestine preparation
- Choose 44721 for arterial reconstruction and 44720 for venous reconstruction of the donor intestine; the operative report identifies the vessel connection.
- 44715Prepare donor intestine
- 44715 describes general backbench preparation of donor intestine. Use 44721 when the documented work includes the specified arterial reconstruction.
- 44799Unlisted px small intestine
- 44799 is for an unlisted small-intestine procedure when no specific code describes the work; 44721 applies to donor-intestine arterial reconstruction.
44721 billing questions
How does this differ from 44720?
44721 represents arterial reconstruction of the donor intestine; 44720 represents venous reconstruction. Use the operative details to identify which vessel connection was performed.
Is this code for the recipient’s implantation?
No. It describes arterial reconstruction of the donor intestine during backbench graft preparation, before the intestine is implanted in the recipient.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should describe the donor graft’s arterial reconstruction, including the anastomosis performed and the vessels or graft material involved when documented.
How does the multiple-procedure reduction affect payment?
When other procedures are performed in the same session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces payment for the others to 50%.
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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