Billing code 47556: Biliary endoscopyMedicare rate & RVUs in Nebraska
Percutaneous biliary endoscopy with lesion destruction is reported when an endoscope introduced through the skin is used to destroy a lesion in the biliary tree.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 47556 in Nebraska.
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 47556 covers
An interventional radiologist or other qualified physician advances an endoscope through percutaneous access into the biliary tree to visualize and destroy a lesion. A typical use is cholangioscopic fragmentation of a bile duct calculus with a destructive technique such as lithotripsy. The service is generally performed in a hospital or other facility with imaging support; it is distinct from simply retrieving a calculus with a basket or other extraction device.
Report this code when documentation supports endoscopic visualization and destruction, rather than diagnostic inspection alone, biopsy, duct dilation, or removal without destruction. Record the target lesion, approach, endoscopic findings, and destruction method. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy family pricing applies. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. CMS does not pay for an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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.
47556 in Nebraska
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | Unavailable | $316.06 |
How the 47556 rate is calculated
Each of 47556’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 · 47556
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work8.34
8.34 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.77
0.77 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.09
1.09 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
10.2000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$340.69
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 47556
The CMS indicators that decide how 47556 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 47556
Biliary endoscopy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 3 | Endoscopy family rules apply. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
47556 without 51 · national facility
$340.69
Biliary endoscopy
47556-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$170.35
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%).
47556 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 47555Biliary endoscopy
- 47555 describes endoscopic removal of biliary calculi. Use 47556 when the documented service includes destruction of a lesion, such as lithotripsy.
- 47554Biliary endoscopy
- 47554 applies to endoscopic dilation of a biliary duct; 47556 applies to destruction of a lesion.
- 47553Biliary endoscopy
- 47553 is for endoscopic biopsy of the biliary tree. It does not describe destruction of the target lesion.
- 47552Biliary endoscopy
- 47552 covers diagnostic endoscopy with specimen collection by brushing or washing. Choose 47556 for documented therapeutic lesion destruction.
47556 billing questions
How does this differ from 47555?
Use 47556 when endoscopic lesion destruction is performed, such as lithotripsy. Code 47555 describes endoscopic removal of calculi without that destruction service.
When should 47554 be considered instead?
47554 is for endoscopic dilation of a biliary duct. Choose 47556 when the documented service is destruction of a lesion rather than duct dilation.
What documentation supports reporting 47556?
Document percutaneous endoscopic access, the target lesion and findings, and the method used to destroy it. The record should distinguish destruction from inspection, biopsy, dilation, or retrieval alone.
Can modifier 50 be appended?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code because the descriptor or anatomy does not support bilateral reporting.
How are related endoscopies paid when performed together?
CMS applies endoscopy family pricing when related endoscopies are performed together. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the 0-day global period.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS does not pay for an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 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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