Billing code 44010: DuodenotomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Rhode Island
A surgeon opens the duodenum to inspect its lumen, obtain tissue, or remove an intraluminal foreign body when an incision is required.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 44010 in Rhode Island.
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 44010 covers
This service is an operative incision into the duodenum to examine its lumen, take a biopsy, or remove a foreign body. A general or gastrointestinal surgeon typically performs it in a hospital operating room, often during an open abdominal operation. The code is specific to the duodenum; an equivalent incision in the small intestine beyond the duodenum is reported with a different code.
Report 44010 when the operative record supports a duodenal incision for exploration, tissue sampling, or foreign-body removal. Documentation should identify the duodenal site and the purpose and findings of the incision. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care through day 90. 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. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted. Modifier 50 is inappropriate 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.
44010 in Rhode Island
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | Unavailable | $789.48 |
How the 44010 rate is calculated
Each of 44010’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 · 44010
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work13.90
13.90 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.89
6.89 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice2.64
2.64 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
23.4300
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$782.58
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 44010
44010 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 44010
Duodenotomy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are 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) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.09/0.81/0.10 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 44010
Duodenotomy
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
44010 without 51 · national facility
$782.58
Duodenotomy
44010-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$391.29
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%).
44010 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 44020Small-bowel exploration
- Choose 44010 for a duodenal incision for exploration, biopsy, or foreign-body removal; 44020 applies to the small intestine beyond the duodenum.
- 44021Bowel decompression
- 44021 is for small-bowel decompression. It is not the code for a duodenal incision made to explore, obtain a biopsy, or remove a foreign body.
- 44025Colon incision
- 44025 concerns an incision into the large bowel; 44010 is limited to the duodenum.
- 44120Small-bowel resection
- 44120 describes small-intestine resection with anastomosis. Use 44010 when the duodenum is incised for exploration, biopsy, or foreign-body removal rather than resected.
44010 billing questions
How is 44010 different from 44020?
44010 is for an incision into the duodenum. Use 44020 for the corresponding exploration, biopsy, or foreign-body removal incision in small intestine beyond the duodenum.
Is 44010 the right code when the duodenum is opened for decompression?
No. 44010 describes a duodenal incision for exploration, biopsy, or foreign-body removal. Code 44021 describes small-bowel decompression, a different service.
Can the incision and closure be billed separately?
The incision and its closure are part of the reported operative service. The record should establish the duodenal site and the reason the incision was made.
Should modifier 50 be appended?
No. Bilateral adjustment is inappropriate for this code and its anatomy.
How does the multiple-procedure reduction affect 44010?
For procedures performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures 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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