Billing code 48510: Pseudocyst drainageMedicare rate & RVUs in Guam
Report open operative drainage when a surgeon drains a pancreatic pseudocyst, rather than excising the cyst or creating a cyst-to-bowel connection.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 48510 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 48510 covers
This service is an operation to drain a pancreatic pseudocyst, a fluid collection that can develop after pancreatitis or pancreatic injury. A surgeon accesses the collection and evacuates its contents. It is generally performed in an operating room for a patient whose pseudocyst requires operative treatment; the operative report should establish that the target was a pancreatic pseudocyst and describe the drainage performed.
Select this code for drainage, not for removal of a pancreatic cyst or an operation that creates an anastomosis between the cyst and a hollow organ. Document the diagnosis, operative approach, and specific work performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including 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 other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Do not append modifier 50; the descriptor or anatomy makes bilateral adjustment inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; 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.
48510 in Hawaii, Guam
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii, Guam | Unavailable | $1,026.59 |
How the 48510 rate is calculated
Each of 48510’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 · 48510
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 16.76Practice expense 10.01Malpractice 4.48
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 48510
48510 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 48510
Pseudocyst drainage
| 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 · 48510
Pseudocyst drainage
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
48510 without 51 · national facility
$1,043.78
Pseudocyst drainage
48510-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$521.89
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%).
48510 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
48510 vs 48500 vs 48520 vs 48540: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 48500Pancreatic surgery
- Code 48510 is for draining a pancreatic pseudocyst. Use 48500 when the documented service is surgery of a pancreatic cyst rather than drainage.
- 48520Cystogastrostomy
- Code 48520 describes a cyst-to-bowel anastomosis for internal drainage. Distinguish it from drainage reported with 48510 by the specific operative technique.
- 48540Pancreatic cyst drainage
- Like 48520, this code concerns a pancreatic cyst-to-bowel connection. Use 48510 when the operative report documents drainage without that anastomosis.
48510 billing questions
How is this different from pancreatic cyst surgery code 48500?
Use 48510 when the operative service drains a pancreatic pseudocyst. Code 48500 describes surgery of a pancreatic cyst and is not a substitute when the documented procedure is drainage.
When would a cystenterostomy code be more appropriate?
Codes 48520 and 48540 describe a pancreatic cyst-to-bowel connection. Choose the code that matches the documented anastomosis rather than reporting 48510 for that internal drainage procedure.
Does the 90-day global period include postoperative visits?
Yes. The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. CMS identifies the descriptor or anatomy as inappropriate for bilateral adjustment, so modifier 50 should not be appended.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full; other procedures in the same session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
What documentation supports assistant or co-surgeon billing?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while team surgery is not permitted.
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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