Billing code 44955: AppendectomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Iowa
Report this add-on when a surgeon removes the appendix for a clinical indication while performing another major procedure, rather than as a separate operation.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 44955 in Iowa.
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 44955 covers
This add-on describes removal of the appendix when it is clinically indicated during another major operation. For example, the surgeon may identify an appendix that requires treatment while operating for a separate abdominal condition. The surgeon performing the operation reports the appendectomy in addition to the code for the primary procedure; 44955 does not describe a standalone appendectomy.
The operative report should identify the primary operation, the appendectomy, and the clinical reason the appendix was removed. Report the code only when the circumstances support an indicated appendectomy during another major procedure, not simply because the appendix was encountered. CMS treats 44955 as an add-on: it is reported with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure's global period. The record should make clear that the appendectomy was performed during the same operative episode as the primary service.
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.
44955 in Iowa
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | Unavailable | $66.46 |
How the 44955 rate is calculated
Each of 44955’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 · 44955
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.49Practice expense 0.39Malpractice 0.36
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 44955
The CMS indicators that decide how 44955 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 44955
Appendectomy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| 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 80 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
44955 without 80 · national facility
$74.82
Appendectomy
44955-80 · Assistant: 16%
$11.97
A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.
44955 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
44955 vs 44950 vs 44960 vs 44970: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 44950Appendectomy
- Use 44950 for appendectomy reported as the principal operation. Use 44955 when an indicated appendectomy is performed during another major procedure.
- 44960Appendectomy
- 44960 identifies appendectomy for a ruptured appendix with abscess or generalized peritonitis. Code 44955 instead distinguishes appendectomy performed during another major procedure.
- 44970Appendectomy
- 44970 describes laparoscopic appendectomy as the operation being reported. Code 44955 is an add-on for an indicated appendectomy performed during another major procedure.
44955 billing questions
When should 44955 be chosen instead of 44950?
Use 44955 when appendectomy is clinically indicated during another major procedure. Use 44950 when appendectomy is reported as the principal operation.
What primary code should accompany 44955?
Report the code for the other major procedure performed during the same operative episode. The operative report should support both the primary operation and the indicated appendectomy.
Can 44955 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with the primary procedure; CMS pays it within that procedure's global period.
What documentation supports reporting 44955?
Document the primary operation, removal of the appendix, and the clinical reason appendectomy was indicated during that operation.
Is 44955 appropriate for a ruptured appendix with generalized peritonitis?
The clinical circumstances and whether appendectomy is performed as the principal operation determine code selection. Code 44960 describes appendectomy for a ruptured appendix with abscess or generalized peritonitis.
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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