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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01

43249 Esophageal dilation Medicare reimbursement rates in New Jersey

Reports upper endoscopy with balloon dilation of an esophageal narrowing using a balloon diameter under 30 mm, commonly to relieve dysphagia. Compare 43249 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in New Jersey.

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 43249 in New Jersey?

New Jersey 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

$1284.52–$1359.90

2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.

Lowest: Rest Of New Jersey

Highest: Northern Nj

A spread of $75.38 per service.

Facility setting

$144.35–$148.73

2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.

Lowest: Rest Of New Jersey

Highest: Northern Nj

A spread of $4.38 per service.

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.

Find 43249 in your payment locality →

Gastrointestinal endoscopy

About 43249: Esophageal balloon dilation under 30 mm

Reports upper endoscopy with balloon dilation of an esophageal narrowing using a balloon diameter under 30 mm, commonly to relieve dysphagia.

A gastroenterologist or other endoscopist advances an upper endoscope through the mouth to the esophagus and expands a balloon across a narrowed area. Common indications include dysphagia from a benign esophageal stricture or ring. The code is for dilation of the esophagus with a balloon under 30 mm; it is not the code for dilation of a gastric outlet. The service is commonly performed in an ambulatory endoscopy center or hospital outpatient department.

Select the code based on the site and dilation technique, and document the esophageal narrowing, balloon method, and maximum balloon diameter. Report the endoscopic procedure once for the session, not once per inflation. Medicare assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. Endoscopy-family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together. Modifier 50 is inappropriate; assistant-at-surgery services are statutorily nonpayable, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.

CMS billing rules for 43249

Global period
Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
Multiple procedures
Endoscopy family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together.
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 RVU2.60 · 7%
  • Practice expense (office) RVU32.44 · 92%
  • Malpractice RVU0.30 · 1%

164.8K

Medicare services in 2024 · #426 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.

43249 compared with similar codes

Office rates for New Jersey, from the same CMS release.

43248

Esophageal dilation

Guidewire-assisted

$495.18–$520.95

Choose 43249 for esophageal balloon dilation under 30 mm. Choose 43248 when the esophagus is dilated over a guide wire.

43245

EGD dilation

Gastric outlet obstruction

$710.11–$748.78

43245 is for dilation of the gastric outlet. This code is for balloon dilation of an esophageal narrowing.

43239

EGD with biopsy

Single or multiple biopsies

$453.38–$477.48

43239 reports upper endoscopy with biopsy, not esophageal balloon dilation. It may be reported for a separately performed biopsy during the same session, subject to endoscopy-family pricing.

Compare 43249 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

Office and facility base rates · shared scale starting at $0

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43249 billing questions

How does this differ from 43248?

43249 is for balloon dilation of the esophagus with a balloon under 30 mm. Use 43248 when dilation is performed over a guide wire.

Can this code be used for gastric outlet dilation?

No. This code is for dilation in the esophagus; 43245 describes dilation of the gastric outlet.

How many units should be reported if the balloon is inflated more than once?

Report the endoscopic dilation once for the session, not a separate unit for each inflation.

What documentation supports the code?

Document the esophageal narrowing, the balloon dilation technique, and the maximum balloon diameter used, which must be under 30 mm for this code.

Can modifier 50 be used, or can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for it, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.

Is same-day care included in the payment?

Yes. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care; related endoscopies performed together are subject to endoscopy-family pricing.

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.

RVUs for 43249PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,177 (RVU26D)