Billing code 44720: Intestine preparationMedicare rate & RVUs in Guam
Reports backbench preparation of a cadaver donor intestine for transplantation when the preparation includes a venous anastomosis.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 44720 in Guam.
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 44720 covers
A transplant surgeon prepares a cadaver donor intestine on the back table before implantation into the recipient. The work includes preparing the donor bowel and its mesenteric vessels, with a venous anastomosis as part of that preparation. This is an organ-preparation service, separate from the operation that implants the intestine in the recipient.
Select this code when the documented backbench preparation includes the venous anastomosis; preparation without that feature is represented by a different code in the family, and arterial anastomosis has its own sibling code. The operative report should identify the donor organ preparation and describe the venous work performed. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard multiple procedure reduction to the others, which are paid at 50%.
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.
44720 in Hawaii, Guam
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii, Guam | Unavailable | $233.14 |
How the 44720 rate is calculated
Each of 44720’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 · 44720
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work4.88
4.88 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.18
1.18 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.31
1.31 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
7.3700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$246.16
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 44720
The CMS indicators that decide how 44720 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 44720
Intestine preparation
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| 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. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
44720 without 51 · national facility
$246.16
Intestine preparation
44720-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$123.08
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%).
44720 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 44715Prepare donor intestine
- Choose 44715 for donor intestine backbench preparation without the venous anastomosis described by 44720.
- 44721Donor intestine prep
- Choose 44721 when the backbench preparation includes an arterial anastomosis; 44720 identifies venous anastomosis.
- 44132Enterectomy cadaver donor
- 44132 reports the intestinal allotransplantation in the recipient. 44720 reports preparation of the donor intestine before implantation.
44720 billing questions
How does 44720 differ from 44715?
44720 is for backbench preparation that includes a venous anastomosis. 44715 represents donor intestine preparation without that venous feature.
When is 44721 used instead?
Use 44721 when the donor intestine preparation includes an arterial anastomosis. The distinction from 44720 is the vessel addressed during backbench preparation.
Is 44720 the recipient's intestinal transplant operation?
No. It reports preparation of the donor intestine before implantation; the recipient transplant operation is a separate service.
What documentation supports reporting 44720?
The operative report should identify backbench preparation of the cadaver donor intestine and describe the venous anastomosis performed.
How does the multiple procedure rule affect payment?
For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are paid at 50%.
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 44720 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 →