Billing code 44379: Small bowel enteroscopyMedicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Deep small-bowel enteroscopy with endoscopic stent placement is reported when the endoscopist treats a small-intestinal narrowing or obstruction through the endoscope.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 44379 in Texas.
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 44379 covers
An endoscopist advances an enteroscope beyond the second portion of the duodenum to examine the small intestine and place an endoscopic stent. The service may be performed by a gastroenterologist or another appropriately trained endoscopist in a hospital or ambulatory endoscopy setting to open a narrowed segment or relieve an obstruction. Predilation performed to facilitate stent placement is included in the service.
Choose this code when the documented intervention is endoscopic stent placement, rather than diagnostic examination or tissue sampling alone. The procedure report should support the extent of enteroscopy, the treated site and reason for stenting, and placement of the stent. This minor procedure has 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 not appropriate. 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 44379 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | Unavailable | $361.45 |
| Beaumont | Unavailable | $348.54 |
| Brazoria | Unavailable | $353.87 |
| Dallas | Unavailable | $356.67 |
| Fort Worth | Unavailable | $356.11 |
| Galveston | Unavailable | $355.35 |
| Houston | Unavailable | $370.17 |
| Rest Of Texas | Unavailable | $351.42 |
How the 44379 rate is calculated
Each of 44379’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 · 44379
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 7.18Practice expense 2.75Malpractice 0.81
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 44379
The CMS indicators that decide how 44379 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 44379
Small bowel enteroscopy
| 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
44379 without 51 · national facility
$358.73
Small bowel enteroscopy
44379-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$179.37
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%).
44379 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
44379 vs 44361 vs 44388 vs 44385: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 44361Small bowel endoscopy
- 44361 is the small-bowel enteroscopy option when biopsy is performed. Choose 44379 when the documented therapeutic intervention is endoscopic stent placement.
- 44388Colonoscopy
- 44388 describes colonoscopy performed through a stoma. This code is for enteroscopy into the small intestine with endoscopic stent placement.
- 44385Pouch endoscopy
- 44385 is endoscopy of a bowel pouch. This code concerns small-intestinal enteroscopy with stent placement, not examination of a pouch.
44379 billing questions
When should this code be selected instead of a small-bowel biopsy code?
Use this code when the endoscopic service includes stent placement. A biopsy code such as 44361 describes a different intervention and does not substitute for documented stenting.
Is predilation separately reported with the stent placement?
Predilation to facilitate placement is included in this service.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The procedure report should identify the enteroscope's extent, the small-bowel site and clinical reason for treatment, and the endoscopic stent placement.
How are related endoscopies handled when performed during the same session?
CMS endoscopy family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the 0-day global period.
Can modifier 50 be used, or can co-surgeons be reported?
Modifier 50 is not appropriate for this service. Co-surgeons are not permitted; assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity.
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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