No office rate
Choose 44005 for operative freeing of intestinal adhesions. Choose 44050 when the surgeon reduces an obstruction such as volvulus, intussusception, or internal hernia.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
44050 Bowel obstruction reduction Medicare reimbursement rates in Missouri
Reports operative reduction of an intestinal obstruction, such as volvulus, intussusception, or internal hernia, when surgery restores bowel position or patency. Compare 44050 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Missouri.
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 44050 in Missouri?
Missouri has 3 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 3 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$844.03–$869.86
3 of 3 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.
Where 44050 pays more and less in Missouri
General surgery
About 44050: Operative intestinal obstruction reduction
Reports operative reduction of an intestinal obstruction, such as volvulus, intussusception, or internal hernia, when surgery restores bowel position or patency.
A surgeon reports this service for operative reduction of an intestinal obstruction, including volvulus, intussusception, or internal hernia. The work centers on releasing or repositioning the obstructed bowel; it is not the same as nonoperative reduction, such as an enema for intussusception. These procedures are typically performed in a hospital operating room, including during emergency surgery.
Choose the code when the operative work reduces the obstruction, rather than solely decompressing bowel, freeing adhesions, or correcting malrotation. The operative report should identify the obstruction and its site, describe the findings and reduction performed, and distinguish any additional procedures. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this intestinal service. An assistant may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 44050
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are 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
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU15.13 · 57%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.39 · 28%
- Malpractice RVU3.87 · 15%
3K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2173 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.
44050 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Missouri, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
44021 represents small-bowel decompression. This code represents operative reduction of the obstruction itself.
No office rate
44055 is for surgical correction of intestinal malrotation. Use 44050 when the operation reduces an obstruction without that malrotation-correction service.
Compare 44050 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.
3 of 3 payment localities
Metropolitan Kansas City →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$863.42
Metropolitan St. Louis →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$869.86
Rest Of Missouri →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$844.03
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44050 billing questions
When should this code be chosen over bowel decompression?
Use this code when the surgeon operatively reduces the obstruction. A service limited to relieving bowel distention by decompression is a different procedure.
Does this code describe nonoperative reduction of intussusception?
No. It describes operative reduction; nonoperative reduction, such as an enema procedure, is not the service represented here.
Can modifier 50 be used?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this intestinal reduction service.
What documentation supports reporting the code?
Document the obstruction's location and cause when known, the operative findings, and how the surgeon reduced it. Identify other procedures performed during the same session separately in the operative report.
How are assistants and co-surgeons handled?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires 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 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.
5,32744020,,Explore small intestine,A,,15.81,7.56,NA,7.56,,4.03,27.40,27.40,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,32844021,,Decompress small bowel,A,,15.90,7.35,NA,7.35,,3.96,27.21,27.21,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,32944025,,Incision of large bowel,A,,16.10,7.50,NA,7.50,,3.93,27.53,27.53,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,33044050,,Reduce bowel obstruction,A,,15.13,7.39,NA,7.39,,3.87,26.39,26.39,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,33144055,,Correct malrotation of bowel,A,,24.99,9.92,NA,9.92,,6.34,41.25,41.25,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,33244100,,Biopsy of bowel,A,,1.96,0.57,NA,0.57,,0.21,2.74,2.74,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,33344110,,Excise intestine lesion(s),A,,13.69,7.00,NA,7.00,,3.18,23.87,23.87,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00