Billing code 53601: Urethral dilationMedicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Reports a subsequent session of urethral stricture dilation in a male patient using sounds or urethral dilators to widen the narrowed passage.
Medicare pays $88.11–$94.93 for 53601 in the office in Oregon, from Rest Of Oregon to Portland. 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 53601 covers
A urologist typically reports this service when dilating a male patient’s urethral stricture during a subsequent treatment session. The clinician passes sounds or urethral dilators through the urethra to widen a narrowed segment, often to address obstructive urinary symptoms related to scar tissue. The service may be performed in an office or facility setting.
Select this code for the subsequent service in the male stricture-dilation family, rather than the family’s initial-service code. Documentation should identify the stricture, the dilation performed, and why this is a subsequent service. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing 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 53601 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | $94.93 | $48.55 |
| Rest Of Oregon | $88.11 | $46.53 |
How the 53601 rate is calculated
Each of 53601’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 · 53601
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.96Practice expense 1.60Malpractice 0.12
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 53601
The CMS indicators that decide how 53601 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 53601
Urethral dilation
| 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) | 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
53601 without 51 · national office
$89.51
Urethral dilation
53601-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$44.76
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%).
53601 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
53601 vs 53600 vs 53605 vs 53621 vs 53661: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 53600Urethral dilation
- 53600 is the initial-service code for male urethral stricture dilation. Use 53601 for the subsequent service in that treatment sequence.
- 53605Urethral dilation
- 53605 is the related male dilation code for cases requiring a guide wire; 53601 identifies a subsequent dilation using sounds or a urethral dilator.
- 53621Urethral dilation
- 53621 is the subsequent-service code for female urethral stricture dilation. Use 53601 for the corresponding male service.
- 53661Urethral dilation
- 53661 describes subsequent female urethral dilation in a different code family; 53601 is for subsequent male stricture dilation.
53601 billing questions
When should 53601 be chosen instead of 53600?
Use 53601 for the subsequent male urethral stricture dilation service; 53600 represents the initial service in this code family. Documentation should support the service’s place in the treatment sequence.
How does 53601 differ from 53605?
53601 identifies a subsequent male stricture dilation using sounds or a urethral dilator. Code 53605 is the related male code for dilation requiring a guide wire.
Is same-day preoperative or postoperative care separately included?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care in the procedure payment.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 should not be used.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50% when performed in the same session.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is subject to a statutory restriction. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.
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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