Billing code 48556: Pancreas graft removalMedicare rate & RVUs in Guam
Reports surgical removal of a previously transplanted pancreas allograft, such as when graft failure, rejection, or infection requires explantation.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 48556 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 48556 covers
This code covers an operation to remove a pancreas allograft from a transplant recipient. A transplant surgeon typically performs the procedure in a hospital operating room when the graft must be removed, for example, because of graft failure, rejection, or infection. It describes removal of the transplanted organ, not recovery of a pancreas from a donor or preparation of a donor graft for implantation.
Report the service when the operative record supports removal of the transplanted pancreas; document the indication, operative work, and structures addressed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment, co-surgeons, and team surgery.
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.
48556 in Hawaii, Guam
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii, Guam | Unavailable | $1,235.76 |
How the 48556 rate is calculated
Each of 48556’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 · 48556
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 18.98Practice expense 13.27Malpractice 5.06
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 48556
48556 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 48556
Pancreas graft removal
| 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) | 2 | Permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 2 | 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 · 48556
Pancreas graft removal
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
48556 without 51 · national facility
$1,246.19
Pancreas graft removal
48556-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$623.10
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%).
48556 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
48556 vs 48554 vs 48550 vs 48551 vs 48552: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 48554Transpl allograft pancreas
- Use 48556 for removing an existing transplanted pancreas; use 48554 for implanting a pancreas allograft.
- 48550Donor pancreatectomy
- Use 48550 for removing a pancreas from a donor for transplantation. Use 48556 for removing the transplanted graft from its recipient.
- 48551Prep donor pancreas
- Use 48551 for backbench preparation of a donor pancreas before implantation; it does not describe removal of a recipient's graft.
- 48552Pancreas preparation
- Use 48552 for donor pancreas preparation that includes venous reconstruction, not for explanting a transplanted pancreas.
48556 billing questions
How is graft removal different from pancreas transplantation?
Removal describes explanting a pancreas already transplanted into the recipient. Code 48554 describes implantation of a pancreas allograft.
Can removal and a replacement transplant be reported in the same session?
When the operation includes both removal of the existing graft and implantation of a replacement, the services are distinct. CMS applies its standard multiple procedure reduction when procedures are performed in the same session.
Is modifier 50 appropriate for this code?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this service; modifier 50 does not describe removal of a transplanted pancreas.
What documentation supports reporting graft removal?
The operative report should establish that the organ being removed is a transplanted pancreas allograft and describe the removal and its clinical indication, such as graft failure, rejection, or infection.
May an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment and permits co-surgeons for this code. The operative record should support each surgeon's role.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
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 48556 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 →