Billing code 50722: Ureteral releaseMedicare rate & RVUs in Georgia
Reports operative freeing of a ureter from surrounding tissue, with or without repositioning, when the work is release rather than ureteral reconstruction.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 50722 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 50722 covers
This operation frees a ureter from tissue that is tethering, compressing, or encasing it; the surgeon may also reposition the mobilized ureter. A urologist commonly performs the work in an operating room, sometimes with a gynecologic or other pelvic surgeon when the ureter is involved in a broader pelvic operation. The operative note should identify the affected ureter, the surrounding attachments or tissue causing the need for release, and the dissection and any repositioning performed.
Report the code when the operative work is ureteral release, not a repair or reconstruction that changes the ureter’s structure. The note should make the extent of the release clear and distinguish it from separately described procedures. This major surgery code includes 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% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. An assistant at surgery 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 50722 pays more and less in Georgia
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | Unavailable | $929.54 |
| Rest Of Georgia | Unavailable | $899.90 |
How the 50722 rate is calculated
Each of 50722’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 · 50722
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 17.50Practice expense 6.51Malpractice 3.05
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 50722
50722 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 50722
Ureteral release
| 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 · 50722
Ureteral release
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
50722 without 51 · national facility
$903.83
Ureteral release
50722-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$451.92
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%).
50722 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
50722 vs 50715 vs 50725 vs 50700 vs 50706: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 50715Ureterolysis
- Both codes concern release of the ureter. Choose based on the specific operative indication and work documented for the code billed.
- 50725Ureteral release
- This neighboring code includes release and revision in its short descriptor. Use it when the record supports revision work in addition to release.
- 50700Ureter repair
- 50700 describes ureteral revision or repair. This code is the better fit when the operation frees the ureter without reconstructing it.
- 50706Ureteral dilation
- 50706 treats ureteral narrowing by balloon dilation. This code describes operative freeing of the ureter from surrounding tissue.
50722 billing questions
How is this different from 50715?
Both codes describe ureteral release, but the operative indication and work should support the specific code selected. Document the reason for freeing the ureter and the dissection performed.
When should a ureteral revision code be considered instead?
Use a revision or reconstructive code when the surgeon repairs or alters the ureter itself rather than only freeing it from surrounding tissue. The operative note should describe that additional structural work.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. The descriptor or anatomy makes bilateral adjustment inappropriate for this code.
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.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
How are multiple 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.
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 50722 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 →