$1,030.40–$1,095.64
Choose 47534 when the catheter drains both internally into the bowel and externally. Choose 47533 for an external-only drainage catheter.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
47534 Biliary drainage Medicare reimbursement rates in Maine
Reports image-guided percutaneous placement of an internal-external biliary drainage catheter, typically to drain an obstructed bile duct through both internal and external routes. Compare 47534 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Maine.
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 47534 in Maine?
Maine has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$1132.32–$1199.54
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$303.25–$306.49
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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.
Interventional radiology
About 47534: Percutaneous internal-external biliary drainage catheter placement
Reports image-guided percutaneous placement of an internal-external biliary drainage catheter, typically to drain an obstructed bile duct through both internal and external routes.
An interventional radiologist or other qualified physician accesses the biliary tree through the skin and liver, evaluates the ducts with cholangiography, and places a catheter that permits bile to drain internally into the bowel and externally through the catheter. This approach may be used for biliary obstruction when drainage across the obstructed segment is feasible and external access is also needed. The service is commonly performed in a hospital imaging or interventional suite.
Report this code for placement of the internal-external drainage catheter, not for an external-only catheter. The service includes diagnostic cholangiography and imaging guidance with associated radiological supervision and interpretation; document the access route, catheter position and drainage configuration. The procedure has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 47534
- 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 RVU7.41 · 20%
- Practice expense (office) RVU28.24 · 77%
- Malpractice RVU0.82 · 2%
3.7K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2044 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.
47534 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Maine, from the same CMS release.
$786.52–$836.73
47535 describes conversion of an existing external biliary drainage catheter to an internal-external catheter; 47534 reports placement of the catheter.
$560.19–$596.51
47536 is for exchange of an existing biliary drainage catheter, not placement of a new internal-external drainage catheter.
$3,222.86–$3,458.99
47538 reports percutaneous biliary stent placement. Use 47534 when the service places an internal-external drainage catheter rather than a stent.
Compare 47534 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Rest Of Maine →
Office / nonfacility
$1132.32
Facility
$303.25
Southern Maine →
Office / nonfacility
$1199.54
Facility
$306.49
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.
47534 billing questions
How does this differ from 47533?
47534 is for an internal-external catheter, which drains into the bowel and also provides external drainage. 47533 is for an external drainage catheter.
Can the cholangiogram or imaging guidance be billed separately?
Diagnostic cholangiography and imaging guidance associated with catheter placement are included in this service. Do not separately report them as though they were independent services.
Should modifier 50 be appended for bilateral drainage?
No. The biliary drainage service is not reported as a paired-side procedure, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full; other procedures in the same session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What documentation supports reporting 47534?
Document the percutaneous access, cholangiographic evaluation, catheter position, and that the catheter provides both internal and external drainage.
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.
5,68347531,,Injection for cholangiogram,A,,1.27,10.52,,0.44,,0.14,11.93,1.85,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,68447532,,Injection for cholangiogram,A,,4.14,19.60,,0.84,,0.49,24.23,5.47,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,68547533,,Plmt biliary drainage cath,A,,5.25,27.44,,0.97,,0.57,33.26,6.79,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,68647534,,Plmt biliary drainage cath,A,,7.41,28.24,,1.26,,0.82,36.47,9.49,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,68747535,,Conversion ext bil drg cath,A,,3.85,21.12,,0.79,,0.43,25.40,5.07,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,68847536,,Exchange biliary drg cath,A,,2.54,15.28,,0.61,,0.28,18.10,3.43,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,68947537,,Removal biliary drg cath,A,,1.79,11.86,,0.52,,0.20,13.85,2.51,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00