CPT code 50200: Renal biopsy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Ohio
Reports percutaneous needle sampling of kidney tissue for diagnostic evaluation, including biopsies of native or transplanted kidneys.
Medicare pays $456.69 for 50200 in the office in Ohio (Ohio). Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 50200 covers
Code 50200 describes obtaining kidney tissue through the skin with a biopsy needle for diagnostic examination. Nephrologists and interventional radiologists commonly perform the procedure, often using ultrasound or CT to guide needle placement. Typical cases include sampling a native kidney to investigate unexplained renal dysfunction, proteinuria, or hematuria, or sampling a transplanted kidney when tissue evaluation is needed. The specimen is sent for pathology assessment.
Choose 50200 when the kidney is sampled percutaneously; a biopsy requiring surgical exposure is a different service. Document the kidney sampled, percutaneous approach, indication, and tissue obtained. Imaging guidance and pathology may be separately reportable when performed, documented, and permitted by applicable coding edits. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. For bilateral procedures reported with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%. In a session with multiple procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; 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.
50200 in Ohio
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | $456.69 | $108.14 |
How the 50200 rate is calculated
Each of 50200’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 · 50200
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work2.32
2.32 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense12.17
12.17 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.24
0.24 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
14.7300
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$492.00
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 50200
The CMS indicators that decide how 50200 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 50200
Renal biopsy
| 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 | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| 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 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
50200 without 50 · national office
$492.00
Renal biopsy
50200-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$738.00
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
50200 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 50205Renal biopsy
- 50200 is for a percutaneous needle approach. 50205 applies when surgical exposure is used to obtain the kidney biopsy.
- 76942Ultrasound needle guidance
- 76942 represents ultrasound guidance for needle placement, not kidney tissue sampling. It may accompany 50200 when guidance is performed and separately reportable.
- 77012CT guidance
- 77012 represents CT guidance for needle placement, not the biopsy itself. Use it only when CT guidance is performed and separately reportable.
50200 billing questions
When should 50200 be used instead of 50205?
Use 50200 for kidney tissue obtained through a percutaneous needle approach. Use 50205 when the kidney is surgically exposed for the biopsy.
Can imaging guidance be reported with 50200?
Ultrasound or CT guidance may be separately reportable when it is performed and documented. Check the applicable coding edits and reporting requirements for the guidance code.
Is the pathology examination included in 50200?
50200 reports obtaining the tissue, not the pathologist’s examination. A pathology service may be separately reported when performed and supported by the record.
How is a biopsy of both kidneys reported?
For a bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%. Document that both kidneys were sampled.
What same-day care is included in the payment?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. In a session with multiple procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction.
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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