Billing code 52334: Ureteral accessMedicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
A urologist creates an endoscopic opening at the ureteral entrance to facilitate passage of a catheter or stent toward the kidney.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 52334 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 52334 covers
A urologist uses a cystoscope to create an opening at the ureteral orifice when access for a ureteral catheter or stent is needed. The incision, sometimes described as a ureteral meatotomy, facilitates passage from the bladder into the ureter and toward the kidney. The service is generally performed in an endoscopic or operating-room setting; the record should identify the access problem, the site treated, and the passage created.
Report this code for creating the passage, not simply for placing a stent. If a related endoscopy is performed in the same session, CMS endoscopy-family pricing applies. The procedure has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, and does not permit co-surgeons or team surgery for this service.
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 52334 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Unavailable | $165.75 |
| Rest Of Oregon | Unavailable | $158.91 |
How the 52334 rate is calculated
Each of 52334’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 · 52334
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 3.29Practice expense 1.17Malpractice 0.43
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 52334
The CMS indicators that decide how 52334 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 52334
Ureteral access
| 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
52334 without 51 · national facility
$163.33
Ureteral access
52334-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$81.67
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%).
52334 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
52334 vs 52332 vs 52341 vs 52342: national Medicare rates
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How to choose
- 52332Ureteral stent
- Choose 52334 for creating a passage at the ureteral opening. Choose 52332 when the service is placement of an indwelling ureteral stent.
- 52341Ureteral stricture treatment
- 52341 addresses endoscopic treatment of a ureteral stricture. 52334 creates an opening to facilitate catheter or stent passage.
- 52342UPJ stricture treatment
- 52342 treats narrowing at the ureteropelvic junction. 52334 is for creating access at the ureteral opening, not treating that junctional stricture.
52334 billing questions
How is this different from 52332?
52334 describes creating an opening to facilitate ureteral access. Code 52332 describes placing an indwelling ureteral stent; report it when that placement is also performed and separately reportable.
Does this code include stent placement?
The service is creation of a passage for catheter or stent insertion, not the insertion itself. Document whether a catheter or stent was placed as a separate service.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral work?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
What documentation supports reporting 52334?
Document the ureteral access difficulty, the ureteral opening treated, and the incision or other passage-creating work performed. Distinguish that work from any separately performed catheter or stent placement.
How are other endoscopies in the same session paid?
When related endoscopies are performed together, CMS endoscopy-family pricing applies. The procedure also has a 0-day global period, including same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
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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