Billing code 48545: Pancreas repairMedicare rate & RVUs in Georgia
Reports direct suture repair of pancreatic tissue, typically for an acute pancreatic laceration or an operative injury requiring surgical repair.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 48545 in Georgia.
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 48545 covers
Pancreatorrhaphy is direct suturing of injured pancreatic tissue, such as a laceration identified during surgery for abdominal trauma or an injury incurred during another operation. A surgeon performs the repair in an operative setting; the operative report should identify the pancreatic injury and describe the repair performed. This code represents repair of the gland itself, not drainage of a pancreatic collection or creation of a bowel connection.
Report the code when the documented service is direct pancreatic suture repair. Documentation should establish the injury and distinguish suturing from any separately performed resection, drainage, or reconstruction. Medicare assigns 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 for this single-organ repair. Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid; 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.
Where 48545 pays more and less in Georgia
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | Unavailable | $1,310.08 |
| Rest Of Georgia | Unavailable | $1,263.18 |
How the 48545 rate is calculated
Each of 48545’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 · 48545
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work21.67
21.67 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense10.38
10.38 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice5.78
5.78 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
37.8300
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,263.56
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 48545
48545 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 48545
Pancreas 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) | 0.09/0.81/0.10 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 48545
Pancreas 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
48545 without 51 · national facility
$1,263.56
Pancreas repair
48545-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$631.78
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%).
48545 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 48510Pseudocyst drainage
- Choose 48545 for direct suture repair of pancreatic tissue. Choose 48510 when the operation drains a pancreatic pseudocyst.
- 48548Pancreatic anastomosis
- 48545 reports suturing of the pancreas; 48548 describes an anastomosis connecting the pancreas with intestine.
- 48500Pancreatic surgery
- 48500 concerns surgery of a pancreatic cyst. It is not the direct suture repair of pancreatic tissue reported with 48545.
48545 billing questions
When is this code appropriate instead of a pancreatic drainage code?
Use it for direct suture repair of pancreatic tissue, such as an injured portion of the gland. Drainage codes describe treatment of a pancreatic cyst or pseudocyst, not suturing the gland.
Does this code include repair-related postoperative visits?
Medicare includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care in the 90-day global period.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this repair of a single, unpaired organ.
May an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
How are other same-session procedures paid?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50% when performed in the same session.
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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