Billing code 50500: Kidney repairMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Reports operative suturing of a kidney wound, such as a renal laceration, when the surgeon repairs the injured tissue rather than removing it.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 50500 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 50500 covers
A urologist or trauma surgeon uses this service to suture a kidney wound, commonly during an operation for a renal laceration after blunt or penetrating trauma. The repair may include control of bleeding and closure of damaged renal tissue. It is performed in the operating room when the kidney is being repaired, not removed or resected as the primary procedure.
Report the code when the operative record supports suture repair of a kidney wound or injury; distinguish that work from removal of renal tissue or closure of a fistula. The service has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When 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% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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.
50500 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Unavailable | $1,191.23 |
How the 50500 rate is calculated
Each of 50500’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 · 50500
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work20.69
20.69 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense10.02
10.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice5.53
5.53 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
36.2400
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,210.45
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 50500
50500 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 50500
Kidney repair
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| 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. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.08/0.83/0.09 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 50500
Kidney repair
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
50500 without 51 · national facility
$1,210.45
Kidney repair
50500-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$605.23
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%).
50500 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 50520Fistula closure
- This code closes a fistula between the kidney and skin; 50500 repairs a kidney wound or injury.
- 50543Partial nephrectomy
- 50543 describes laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, which removes renal tissue; 50500 sutures a kidney wound.
- 50220Kidney removal
- 50220 describes nephrectomy rather than sutured repair of a kidney wound.
50500 billing questions
When should this code be chosen instead of a nephrectomy code?
Use it when the surgeon sutures a kidney wound. If the operative service removes the kidney or a portion of it, select the code that describes that removal instead.
Can modifier 50 be reported for repair of both kidneys?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code because of its descriptor or anatomy.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction.
May an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is 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
Fee sheets
Put 50500 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →