No office rate
This code is for open appendectomy without the specific complicated findings assigned to 44960. Choose 44960 when the appendix is ruptured with an abscess or generalized peritonitis.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
44950 Appendectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Idaho
Reports open surgical removal of the appendix, typically as the primary operation for acute appendicitis without the complications assigned to a separate code. Compare 44950 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Idaho.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 44950 in Idaho?
Idaho has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$545.78
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Idaho
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
General surgery
About 44950: Open appendectomy for acute appendicitis
Reports open surgical removal of the appendix, typically as the primary operation for acute appendicitis without the complications assigned to a separate code.
This code describes open removal of the appendix, commonly performed by a general surgeon in a hospital operating room for acute appendicitis. The surgeon reaches the appendix through an abdominal incision rather than using a laparoscopic approach. Emergency cases often follow evaluation for right lower quadrant pain and imaging or examination findings consistent with appendicitis.
Select the code based on the operative approach and documented disease findings. The operative report should support removal of the appendix by open approach; rupture with an abscess or generalized peritonitis points to 44960, while laparoscopic removal points to 44970. The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Do not append modifier 50 for this single-organ operation. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team-surgery payment is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 44950
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU10.34 · 57%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.18 · 29%
- Malpractice RVU2.61 · 14%
740
Medicare services in 2024 · #3216 by national volume
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.
44950 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Idaho, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
44970 is the laparoscopic appendectomy code. Use 44950 when the surgeon removes the appendix through an open incision.
No office rate
44955 is used when appendectomy is performed for an indicated purpose during another major procedure; it is reported with that primary procedure rather than as the standalone open appendectomy.
No office rate
44900 describes open drainage of an appendiceal abscess. It represents abscess drainage, not removal of the appendix.
Compare 44950 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Idaho →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$545.78
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 44950 in Idaho.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
5,454
- Code
- 44950
- Physician work
- 10.34
- Practice expense
- 5.18
- Malpractice
- 2.61
GPCI2026.csv
47
- Locality
- Idaho
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.920
- Malpractice
- 0.473
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 10.34 | × 1.000 | 10.3400 |
| Practice expense | 5.18 | × 0.920 | 4.7656 |
| Malpractice | 2.61 | × 0.473 | 1.2345 |
| Total RVUs | 16.3401 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Idaho$545.78
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 10.34 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 5.18 | 0.92 |
| Malpractice | 2.61 | 0.473 |
(10.34 × 1 + 5.18 × 0.92 + 2.61 × 0.473) × $33.4009 = $545.78
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
44950 billing questions
How does 44950 differ from 44960?
Use 44950 for open appendectomy when the operative findings do not meet the 44960 circumstance. Code 44960 is for a ruptured appendix with abscess or generalized peritonitis.
When should 44970 be reported instead?
Report 44970 when the appendix is removed laparoscopically. Code 44950 describes the open approach.
Is 44955 an add-on to 44950?
44955 describes appendectomy performed for an indicated purpose during another major procedure and is reported in addition to that primary procedure. It is not an add-on to 44950.
What documentation supports 44950?
The operative report should establish that the appendix was removed through an open approach and describe the relevant operative findings. Document rupture, abscess, or generalized peritonitis when present to support code selection.
Can modifier 50 be used for 44950?
No. The appendix is a single organ, so modifier 50 is not appropriate.
How is related postoperative care handled?
The 90-day global 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 indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
5,45144850,,Repair of mesentery,A,,11.81,6.52,NA,6.52,,2.91,21.24,21.24,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,45244899,,Unlisted px meckel's dvrtclm,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,YYY,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,45344900,,I&d appendix abscess open,A,,12.26,6.74,NA,6.74,,3.27,22.27,22.27,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,45444950,,Appendectomy,A,,10.34,5.18,NA,5.18,,2.61,18.13,18.13,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,45544955,,Appendectomy add-on,A,,1.49,0.39,NA,0.39,,0.36,2.24,2.24,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,45644960,,Appendectomy,A,,14.14,6.88,NA,6.88,,3.68,24.70,24.70,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,45744970,,Laparoscopy appendectomy,A,,9.21,5.72,NA,5.72,,2.38,17.31,17.31,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4410212,GA,01,ATLANTA,1.003,1.016,1.201
4510212,GA,99,REST OF GEORGIA,1.000,0.892,1.192
4601212,HI,01,"HAWAII, GUAM",1.000,1.137,0.579
4702202,ID,00,IDAHO,1.000,0.920,0.473
4806102,IL,16,CHICAGO,1.007,1.005,2.295
4906102,IL,12,EAST ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.920,2.014
5006102,IL,15,SUBURBAN CHICAGO,1.007,1.027,1.772