Billing code 51992: Urinary slingMedicare rate & RVUs in Illinois
Report this procedure for laparoscopic sling placement to support the urethra in a patient undergoing surgical treatment for stress urinary incontinence.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 51992 in Illinois.
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 51992 covers
A surgeon places and secures a sling through a laparoscopic approach to support the urethra and treat stress urinary incontinence. Urologists and urogynecologists may perform the operation in a hospital or other facility equipped for laparoscopic surgery. The operative report should establish the laparoscopic approach, the sling procedure, and the indication; a different laparoscopic suspension technique may call for a different code.
Report 51992 for the laparoscopic sling operation, rather than for a sling placed by another approach or for urethral suspension without the sling operation. The procedure has a 90-day global period, including 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% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; 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.
Where 51992 pays more and less in Illinois
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Unavailable | $853.76 |
| East St. Louis | Unavailable | $812.50 |
| Rest Of Illinois | Unavailable | $775.37 |
| Suburban Chicago | Unavailable | $816.20 |
How the 51992 rate is calculated
Each of 51992’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 · 51992
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 14.50Practice expense 5.47Malpractice 2.38
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 51992
51992 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 51992
Urinary sling
| 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) | 0.08/0.83/0.09 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 51992
Urinary sling
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
51992 without 51 · national facility
$746.51
Urinary sling
51992-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$373.26
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%).
51992 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
51992 vs 51990 vs 57288 vs 57287: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 51990Urethral suspension
- Use 51992 for laparoscopic sling placement. Use 51990 for laparoscopic urethral suspension when the operative procedure is suspension rather than sling placement.
- 57288Sling procedure
- Both address sling surgery for stress incontinence, but 51992 identifies a laparoscopic operation; 57288 is used for the sling operation performed by a different approach.
- 57287Sling revision
- 57287 describes removal or revision of a previously placed sling. It is not the code for a new laparoscopic sling operation.
51992 billing questions
How does 51992 differ from 51990?
51992 describes laparoscopic sling placement for stress incontinence. 51990 describes laparoscopic urethral suspension, a distinct operation rather than sling placement.
When would 57288 be used instead?
57288 describes a sling operation for stress incontinence performed by an approach other than the laparoscopic procedure represented by 51992. Select based on the documented operative approach.
Does the 90-day global include postoperative visits?
Related postoperative care during the 90-day global period is included, as is the day-before preoperative visit.
Can modifier 50 be reported for bilateral surgery?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code under the CMS bilateral adjustment rule.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation; 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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