CPT code 44377: Small bowel endoscopy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Reports enteroscopy extending into the ileum when the endoscopist obtains small-bowel tissue samples to evaluate suspected mucosal disease or other abnormalities.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 44377 in Oregon.
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 44377 covers
A gastroenterologist or other qualified endoscopist examines the small bowel beyond the second portion of the duodenum, including the ileum, and obtains one or more tissue samples through the endoscope. The service may help investigate suspected small-bowel inflammation, unexplained anemia, or an abnormality seen on imaging or prior testing. It is commonly performed in a hospital or ambulatory endoscopy setting.
Choose this code when the documented examination reaches the ileum and includes biopsy; the number of samples does not change the code. The report should support the extent of examination and tissue sampling. Medicare 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 for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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.
Where 44377 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Unavailable | $265.83 |
| Rest Of Oregon | Unavailable | $254.75 |
How the 44377 rate is calculated
Each of 44377’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 · 44377
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work5.28
5.28 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.94
1.94 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.59
0.59 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
7.8100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$260.86
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 44377
The CMS indicators that decide how 44377 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 44377
Small bowel 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) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| 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
44377 without 51 · national facility
$260.86
Small bowel endoscopy
44377-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$130.43
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%).
44377 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 44361Small bowel endoscopy
- Both include small-bowel biopsy, but 44377 is for an examination that includes the ileum; 44361 is used when the examination does not include it.
- 44376Small-bowel enteroscopy
- This is the related enteroscopy including the ileum without biopsy. Choose 44377 when tissue sampling is performed.
- 44360Small-bowel exam
- This is diagnostic small-bowel enteroscopy without biopsy and does not include the ileum. It is not the choice when the ileum is examined and sampled.
- 44389Colonoscopy
- This describes colonoscopy with biopsy. Use 44377 for small-bowel enteroscopy including the ileum, not sampling performed during colonoscopy.
44377 billing questions
How does this differ from 44361?
Use 44377 when the enteroscopy includes the ileum and biopsy. Code 44361 describes the related biopsy service when the examination does not include the ileum.
Does the number of biopsy samples change the code?
No. The code covers biopsy sampling whether the endoscopist obtains one sample or multiple samples.
Can a separate diagnostic enteroscopy code be reported for the same examination?
Do not report a second endoscopy code solely for the diagnostic examination that accompanies the biopsy. When related endoscopies are performed together, Medicare endoscopy family pricing applies.
Should modifier 50 be used for examination of both sides?
No. The anatomy and descriptor make bilateral adjustment inappropriate for this code.
What documentation supports reporting 44377?
Document that the enteroscope reached the ileum and that tissue was sampled. The note should distinguish this service from an examination that does not include the ileum.
When may an assistant be paid for this service?
Medicare assistant-at-surgery payment is available only when medical necessity is documented. 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
Fee sheets
Put 44377 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →