Billing code 44151: Total colectomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Rhode Island
Reports removal of the colon while retaining the rectum, with construction of a continent ileal reservoir and catheterizable abdominal stoma.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 44151 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 44151 covers
This operation removes the colon without removing the rectum and creates a continent ileostomy from the end of the small intestine. The surgeon forms an internal reservoir, commonly called a continent pouch, and brings it to the abdominal wall as a catheterizable stoma. It is performed by a colorectal or general surgeon, typically in a hospital operating room, for patients needing total colectomy who are candidates for this type of diversion.
Choose this code when the operative report supports total abdominal colectomy without proctectomy and creation of a continent ileostomy. Documentation should identify the bowel removed, confirm that the rectum was retained, and describe construction of the reservoir and stoma. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. In a same-session multiple-procedure claim, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this operation, and team-surgery payment is 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.
44151 in Rhode Island
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | Unavailable | $2,018.51 |
How the 44151 rate is calculated
Each of 44151’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 · 44151
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work34.05
34.05 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense17.03
17.03 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice9.13
9.13 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
60.2100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$2,011.07
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 44151
44151 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 44151
Total colectomy
| 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 · 44151
Total colectomy
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
44151 without 51 · national facility
$2,011.07
Total colectomy
44151-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,005.54
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%).
44151 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 44150Total colectomy
- Both involve total abdominal colectomy without proctectomy, but 44151 is distinguished by construction of a continent ileostomy.
- 44155Colectomy
- 44155 includes proctectomy and an ileostomy; 44151 retains the rectum and creates a continent ileostomy.
- 44156Colectomy
- Both include a continent ileostomy, but 44156 also removes the rectum.
- 44140Partial colectomy
- 44140 is for partial colectomy with anastomosis, not total abdominal colectomy with continent ileostomy.
44151 billing questions
How does this differ from 44150?
44151 includes construction of a continent ileostomy. 44150 describes total abdominal colectomy without proctectomy with a different ileostomy or ileoproctostomy reconstruction.
When should 44156 be considered instead?
44156 describes total colectomy with proctectomy and a continent ileostomy. Use 44151 when the rectum is retained.
What operative details support reporting 44151?
The report should establish total colon removal, retention of the rectum, and creation of the continent ileal reservoir and catheterizable stoma.
Are related postoperative visits included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full; other procedures in the same session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure 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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