Billing code 64489: TAP blockMedicare rate & RVUs in Oklahoma
Reports a bilateral transversus abdominis plane block with continuous catheter infusion for abdominal wall analgesia, commonly around abdominal surgery.
Medicare pays $365.54 for 64489 in the office in Oklahoma (Oklahoma). 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 64489 covers
A transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block places local anesthetic in the fascial plane of the abdominal wall to provide analgesia. This code describes the block on both sides with continuous infusion through catheters; catheter insertion is included when performed. Anesthesia professionals commonly place these blocks around abdominal operations to support postoperative pain control, often in a hospital or surgical facility.
Choose this code when the service is bilateral and uses continuous catheter infusion, rather than a single injection. Document the block sites, bilateral service, catheter placement when performed, and the infusion plan. CMS assigns the code 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 the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. The code is priced as bilateral, so modifier 50 does not increase payment. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery and does not permit co-surgeon or team-surgery payment for this code.
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.
64489 in Oklahoma
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | $365.54 | $68.76 |
How the 64489 rate is calculated
Each of 64489’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 · 64489
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.71
1.71 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense10.21
10.21 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.15
0.15 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
12.0700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$403.15
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 64489
The CMS indicators that decide how 64489 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 64489
TAP block
| 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) | 2 | Already bilateral by definition: paid once at 100%. |
| 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
64489 without 51 · national office
$403.15
TAP block
64489-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$201.58
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%).
64489 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 64488TAP block
- Use 64488 for a bilateral TAP block performed by injection. Use 64489 when the bilateral block uses continuous catheter infusion.
- 64487TAP block
- 64487 describes continuous-infusion TAP blocks on one side; 64489 describes the bilateral service.
- 64486TAP block
- 64486 describes a unilateral TAP block by injection, not bilateral continuous infusion.
64489 billing questions
How does 64489 differ from 64488?
64489 is for bilateral TAP blocks delivered by continuous catheter infusion. 64488 describes bilateral TAP blocks by injection.
Can modifier 50 be added?
No. The code is already priced as bilateral, and modifier 50 does not increase payment.
What documentation supports continuous infusion?
Record that the block was performed on both sides and document catheter placement when performed and the plan for continuous infusion.
Does the code include catheter insertion?
Catheter insertion is included when performed as part of the bilateral TAP block with continuous infusion.
How does the multiple-procedure reduction work?
For multiple procedures in the same session, 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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