Billing code 50065: Kidney stone surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Reports a secondary open operation to remove a kidney stone when the documented surgical circumstances distinguish it from routine initial stone removal.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 50065 in Florida.
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 50065 covers
A urologist uses this code for a secondary open operation to remove a calculus from the kidney. The procedure involves surgically reaching the kidney and treating the stone through an open approach, typically in a hospital operating room. The code distinguishes this service from routine open stone removal and from percutaneous procedures that reach the kidney through a small access tract.
Choose the code based on the operative circumstances, not stone size alone; the record should describe the calculus, the open approach, and why the operation is secondary. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. For bilateral surgery reported with modifier 50, payment is at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeons and team surgery 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.
Where 50065 pays more and less in Florida
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | Unavailable | $1,156.83 |
| Miami | Unavailable | $1,231.25 |
| Rest Of Florida | Unavailable | $1,113.69 |
How the 50065 rate is calculated
Each of 50065’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 · 50065
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work21.76
21.76 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense7.73
7.73 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice2.79
2.79 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
32.2800
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,078.18
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 50065
50065 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 50065
Kidney stone surgery
| 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) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| 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 · 50065
Kidney stone surgery
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
50065 without 50 · national facility
$1,078.18
Kidney stone surgery
50065-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$1,617.27
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).
50065 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 50060Kidney stone surgery
- 50060 describes routine open renal calculus removal. Report 50065 when the documented operative circumstances support a secondary operation.
- 50075Kidney stone removal
- 50075 identifies open removal of a large staghorn calculus. Do not select 50065 based on stone size when the large-staghorn service applies.
- 50080Percutaneous stone removal
- 50080 is a percutaneous stone-treatment service for stones up to 2 cm; 50065 describes a secondary open operation.
- 50081Kidney stone removal
- 50081 is the percutaneous code for larger or more complex stone treatment. The operative approach distinguishes it from 50065.
50065 billing questions
How does this differ from 50060?
50065 is for a secondary open operation for a renal calculus. Use 50060 for routine open removal when the circumstances do not support reporting a secondary operation.
Does stone size determine whether to report 50065?
No. The selection turns on the secondary-operation circumstances, not stone size alone. A large staghorn calculus has a distinct open procedure code, 50075.
Can the kidney incision and stone extraction be billed separately?
The access to the kidney and treatment of the calculus are part of the open stone operation; do not separately report those operative steps as distinct services.
How is bilateral surgery paid?
When the procedure is performed bilaterally and reported with modifier 50, CMS pays at 150%.
What documentation supports reporting 50065?
Document the kidney and calculus treated, the open approach, and the operative circumstances supporting classification as a secondary operation. The operative report should make the distinction from routine stone removal clear.
Can an assistant surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted under the CMS rules provided.
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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