Billing code 50547: Donor nephrectomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Reports laparoscopic removal and preparation of a living donor kidney for transplantation, performed by a surgeon during donor procurement.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 50547 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 50547 covers
This service covers laparoscopic surgery to procure a kidney from a living donor for transplantation, including preparing the kidney for the transplant. A urologist or transplant surgeon typically performs it in a hospital operating room. The code describes work on the donor; it does not represent implantation into the recipient.
Report it when the operative record supports living-donor procurement by laparoscopy, rather than removal for treatment of the donor’s kidney disease. The major-surgery global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For eligible procedures performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 identifies a bilateral procedure, paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require 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.
50547 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Unavailable | $1,517.46 |
How the 50547 rate is calculated
Each of 50547’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 · 50547
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 25.68Practice expense 14.12Malpractice 6.31
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 50547
50547 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 50547
Donor nephrectomy
| 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) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| 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 · 50547
Donor nephrectomy
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 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
50547 without 50 · national facility
$1,540.12
Donor nephrectomy
50547-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$2,310.18
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
50547 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
50547 vs 50300 vs 50546 vs 50545 vs 50548: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 50300Remove cadaver donor kidney
- Both describe living-donor kidney procurement. Use 50300 for the open approach; use 50547 when procurement is performed laparoscopically.
- 50546Nephrectomy
- 50546 describes laparoscopic kidney removal for a non-donor clinical indication. Use 50547 when the kidney is procured from a living donor for transplantation.
- 50545Radical nephrectomy
- 50545 is for laparoscopic radical kidney removal for disease. It is not the donor-procurement service represented by 50547.
- 50548Nephroureterectomy
- 50548 describes laparoscopic removal of a kidney with the ureter for a clinical indication; 50547 identifies living-donor kidney procurement.
50547 billing questions
How does this differ from a routine laparoscopic nephrectomy?
Use this code for laparoscopic kidney procurement from a living donor for transplantation. A nephrectomy performed to treat the donor’s disease is a different service.
Does the code include preparation of the donor kidney?
Yes. Kidney preparation for transplantation is part of the donor procurement service represented by this code.
Does this code describe the recipient’s transplant operation?
No. It reports the donor-side procurement operation, not implantation of the kidney into the recipient.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should establish that the patient was a living donor and that the kidney was removed laparoscopically for transplantation. It should also describe the procurement and preparation performed.
How are assistants and co-surgeons handled?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
What payment rules affect this service?
The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others are subject to the standard reduction; a bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
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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