Billing code 49320: Diagnostic laparoscopyMedicare rate & RVUs in Iowa
A surgeon uses a laparoscope to examine the abdominal and peritoneal cavity when a diagnostic survey is needed without a separately coded operative treatment.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 49320 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 49320 covers
A surgeon, commonly a general surgeon or gynecologic surgeon, uses a laparoscope to inspect the abdominal and peritoneal cavity when the cause of symptoms or an abnormal finding is uncertain. The examination may include the omentum and may involve brushing or washing to collect material for analysis. For example, a diagnostic survey may be performed to evaluate otherwise unexplained abdominal or pelvic pain. This code describes inspection, not a separately performed biopsy, aspiration, or therapeutic procedure.
Report the diagnostic laparoscopy when the examination itself is the service performed; routine inspection that is part of a more extensive laparoscopic operation is not separately reported as a separate procedure. The operative report should support the diagnostic purpose and describe the areas examined and findings. Medicare assigns a 10-day global period, so related postoperative visits during that period are included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon and team-surgery payment are not permitted. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
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.
49320 in Iowa
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | Unavailable | $282.36 |
How the 49320 rate is calculated
Each of 49320’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 · 49320
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work5.01
5.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense3.23
3.23 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.23
1.23 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
9.4700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$316.31
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 49320
49320 has a 10-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 49320
Diagnostic laparoscopy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 010 | Minor procedure: the day of the procedure plus 10 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) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.80/0.10 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 49320
Diagnostic laparoscopy
10-day global period ends
Oct 11, 2026
Covers Oct 1, 2026 through Oct 11, 2026 (11 days).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
After the global period ends: visits and procedures are billed normally.
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
49320 without 51 · national facility
$316.31
Diagnostic laparoscopy
49320-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$158.16
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%).
49320 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 49321Laparoscopic biopsy
- Choose 49320 for diagnostic inspection without biopsy; choose 49321 when laparoscopic tissue biopsy is performed.
- 49322Laparoscopic aspiration
- 49322 describes laparoscopic aspiration, such as drawing fluid from a target; 49320 describes a diagnostic survey without that separately performed aspiration.
- 49329Unlstd laps px abd pertm&omn
- Use 49320 when diagnostic laparoscopy is specifically described. Consider 49329 only when the laparoscopic procedure performed has no specific code.
49320 billing questions
When should 49320 be chosen over 49321?
Use 49320 for diagnostic inspection without a separately coded biopsy. When tissue is taken by laparoscopic biopsy, consider 49321 instead.
Can 49320 be reported with a definitive laparoscopic operation?
Routine diagnostic inspection that leads into or is part of a more extensive laparoscopic operation is generally included in that operation. Do not separately report 49320 merely because the surgeon first surveyed the cavity.
Does 49320 include collecting material for analysis?
The diagnostic service may include brushing or washing to collect specimens. A separately performed biopsy or aspiration is represented by a different code.
Should modifier 50 be used for both sides?
No. The abdominal and peritoneal survey is not a bilateral service for modifier 50 purposes.
How many units are reported when several areas are inspected?
The code represents the diagnostic laparoscopic examination, not a separate unit for each organ or area viewed during the same procedure.
What postoperative care is included?
Related postoperative visits during the 10-day global period are included in the procedure's global payment.
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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