$42.26
51701 represents non-indwelling bladder catheter insertion. Choose 51700 when the documented service is bladder lavage or fluid instillation.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
51700 Bladder irrigation Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Report simple bladder irrigation when a clinician lavages the bladder or instills fluid, such as to clear clots through a urinary catheter. Compare 51700 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Kentucky.
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 51700 in Kentucky?
Kentucky 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
$71.73
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$25.41
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
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.
Urology procedure
About 51700: Simple bladder irrigation
Report simple bladder irrigation when a clinician lavages the bladder or instills fluid, such as to clear clots through a urinary catheter.
This service involves flushing the bladder with fluid or instilling fluid through a urinary catheter. A urologist or another clinician may perform it in an office or facility to clear blood clots or debris, or to address a catheter that is not draining because of material in the bladder. The work is irrigation itself, rather than catheter placement alone.
Document the reason for irrigation, the method or catheter used, and the service performed, including the material flushed or instilled and the patient’s response when relevant. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When it is performed in the same session as other procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 51700
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.59 · 25%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.68 · 72%
- Malpractice RVU0.07 · 3%
173.3K
Medicare services in 2024 · #410 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.
51700 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
$60.08
51702 represents insertion of a temporary indwelling catheter. It is not a substitute for documenting irrigation performed through a catheter.
$142.65
51703 is for complex bladder catheter insertion. Use 51700 for simple bladder irrigation, not for insertion complexity.
$84.90
51720 is used for therapeutic bladder instillation to treat a lesion. Code 51700 describes irrigation or simple lavage, not that treatment service.
Compare 51700 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
Kentucky →
Office / nonfacility
$71.73
Facility
$25.41
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
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 51700 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,045
- Code
- 51700
- Physician work
- 0.59
- Practice expense
- 1.68
- Malpractice
- 0.07
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.59 | × 1.000 | 0.5900 |
| Practice expense | 1.68 | × 0.889 | 1.4935 |
| Malpractice | 0.07 | × 0.915 | 0.0641 |
| Total RVUs | 2.1476 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Kentucky$71.73
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.59 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 1.68 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 0.07 | 0.915 |
(0.59 × 1 + 1.68 × 0.889 + 0.07 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $71.73
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.59 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.12 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 0.07 | 0.915 |
(0.59 × 1 + 0.12 × 0.889 + 0.07 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $25.41
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.
51700 billing questions
How is irrigation different from bladder catheter insertion?
Irrigation describes flushing or instilling fluid in the bladder; catheter insertion codes describe placing a catheter. Choose based on the service documented, not simply on the presence of a catheter.
Can catheter insertion be reported with irrigation?
The irrigation service does not by itself describe catheter insertion. If both services were performed, document each distinctly and verify that reporting both is supported by applicable coding edits.
Is modifier 50 appropriate for irrigation of both sides?
No. The bladder is not a paired structure for this service, and CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate.
What same-session payment rule applies?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures performed in the same session are paid at 50%.
Are assistant, co-surgeon, or team-surgery modifiers payable?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What documentation supports the service?
Record the clinical reason for irrigation, the catheter or method used, what was flushed or instilled, and the patient’s response when relevant.
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.
6,04251600,,Injection for bladder x-ray,A,,0.86,5.26,,0.17,,0.09,6.21,1.12,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,04351605,,Preparation for bladder xray,A,,0.62,0.36,NA,0.36,,0.07,1.05,1.05,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,04451610,,Injection for bladder x-ray,A,,1.02,2.70,,0.59,,0.12,3.84,1.73,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,04551700,,Irrigation of bladder,A,,0.59,1.68,,0.12,,0.07,2.34,0.78,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,04651701,,Insert bladder catheter,A,,0.49,0.80,,0.10,,0.07,1.36,0.66,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,04751702,,Insert temp bladder cath,A,,0.49,1.40,,0.12,,0.07,1.96,0.68,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,04851703,,Insert bladder cath complex,A,,1.43,3.00,,0.40,,0.19,4.62,2.02,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5208102,IN,00,INDIANA,1.000,0.927,0.486
5305102,IA,00,IOWA,1.000,0.915,0.397
5405202,KS,00,KANSAS,1.000,0.904,0.504
5515102,KY,00,KENTUCKY,1.000,0.889,0.915
5607202,LA,01,NEW ORLEANS,1.000,0.941,1.136
5707202,LA,99,REST OF LOUISIANA,1.000,0.885,0.958
5814112,ME,03,SOUTHERN MAINE,1.000,0.991,0.631