Billing code 57556: Cervical stump surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs in Georgia

Reports vaginal excision of a retained cervical stump when the operation also includes repair of bowel, rather than stump removal alone.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 20262 payment localities

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 57556 in Georgia.

—Office (non-facility)
$515.34–$537.07Hospital or facility

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

We’ll open 57556 for the payment locality that covers the ZIP.

On this page 9 sections
  1. Rate in Georgia
  2. What 57556 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. How it’s calculated
  5. Payment rules
  6. Similar codes
  7. Related codes
  8. Billing questions
  9. Sources

What 57556 covers

Code 57556 represents vaginal removal of a remaining cervix, or cervical stump, usually after a prior supracervical hysterectomy, in an operation that also repairs bowel. A gynecologic surgeon performs the stump excision in an operating room; the gynecologic surgeon or another surgical specialist may perform the bowel repair, depending on the operative findings. This is distinct from office biopsy, cautery, or excisional treatment of a cervix that remains in place.

Report the code when the operative record supports both removal of the cervical stump and bowel repair, not for stump removal alone or bowel repair alone. Documentation should identify the prior anatomy, indication, vaginal approach, excised stump, bowel defect and repair, and each surgeon’s work when multiple surgeons participate. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. For same-session procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted. The anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.

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 57556 pays more and less in Georgia

57556 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AtlantaUnavailable$537.07
Rest Of GeorgiaUnavailable$515.34

How the 57556 rate is calculated

Each of 57556’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 · 57556

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work9.13

9.13 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense4.91

4.91 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.61

1.61 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

15.6500

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$522.72

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 57556

57556 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 57556

Cervical stump surgery

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.12/0.74/0.14Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 57556

Cervical stump 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.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

57556 without 51 · national facility

$522.72

Cervical stump surgery

57556-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$261.36

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%).

When to use modifier 51

57556 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

  • 57556

    Cervical stump surgery9.13 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 57550

    Cervical stump removal6.18 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 57555

    Cervical stump surgery9.69 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 57545

    Cervical removal13.75 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 57530

    Cervix removal5.14 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

57550Cervical stump removal
Use 57550 for cervical stump removal without the bowel repair included in 57556.
57555Cervical stump surgery
57555 pairs cervical stump removal with vaginal repair; 57556 is for the operation with bowel repair.
57545Cervical removal
57545 describes cervix removal with pelvic-floor repair. Choose 57556 when the documented repair is of bowel.
57530Cervix removal
57530 is vaginal removal of the cervix, rather than removal of a cervical stump with bowel repair.

57556 billing questions

When should 57556 be chosen over 57550?

Use 57556 when vaginal removal of the cervical stump is performed with bowel repair. 57550 describes stump removal without that specified repair.

Is the bowel repair included in this service?

The code represents stump removal together with bowel repair. Do not separately report the same repair as an unrelated service.

Can modifier 50 be used?

No. The anatomy and service described make bilateral reporting with modifier 50 inappropriate.

What global period applies?

CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period. It includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

How are assistant and co-surgeon claims handled?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

What happens if other procedures are performed in the same session?

CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction to the other procedures.

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
RVUs for 57556PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,511 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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