$774.29–$876.57
Choose 49405 when placing a catheter to drain a visceral collection. Choose 49424 when injecting contrast to assess an existing cavity or tract.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
49424 Cavity contrast study Medicare reimbursement rates in Texas
Reports contrast injection and imaging to assess an existing abscess, cyst, or sinus tract, such as when evaluating a cavity reached through a drain. Compare 49424 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Texas.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 49424 in Texas?
Texas has 8 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 8 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$157.89–$179.15
8 of 8 localities have a supported rate.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Where 49424 pays more and less in Texas
8 payment localities
$157.89 to $179.15
Interventional radiology
About 49424: Contrast study of a cavity or sinus tract
Reports contrast injection and imaging to assess an existing abscess, cyst, or sinus tract, such as when evaluating a cavity reached through a drain.
A clinician injects contrast through an existing catheter or other access into an abscess cavity, cyst, or sinus tract, then obtains and interprets imaging to assess its shape, extent, or communication with nearby structures. This study is commonly performed by an interventional radiologist or another physician managing a percutaneous drain, in a hospital or outpatient setting. A sinogram through an established tract is a typical use; this code describes assessment, not placement of a new drainage catheter.
Report the study when documentation identifies the target cavity or tract, the reason for assessment, the contrast injection and imaging performed, and the findings. The service includes radiological supervision and interpretation. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur 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 requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 49424
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.74 · 14%
- Practice expense (office) RVU4.31 · 84%
- Malpractice RVU0.07 · 1%
13.9K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1295 by national volume
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.
49424 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Texas, from the same CMS release.
$504.36–$577.74
49423 describes exchanging a drainage catheter. 49424 describes a contrast study of an abscess, cyst, or sinus tract.
No office rate
49427 concerns injection assessment of an abdominal-venous shunt; 49424 assesses an abscess cavity, cyst, or sinus tract.
Compare 49424 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | Office $179.15 | Facility $32.14 |
| Beaumont | Office $157.89 | Facility $31.45 |
| Brazoria | Office $169.40 | Facility $31.70 |
| Dallas | Office $170.33 | Facility $31.94 |
| Fort Worth | Office $168.92 | Facility $31.92 |
| Galveston | Office $169.80 | Facility $31.83 |
| Houston | Office $171.08 | Facility $33.11 |
| Rest Of Texas | Office $163.44 | Facility $31.58 |
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49424 billing questions
When should I report this instead of a drainage-catheter placement code?
Report 49424 for contrast assessment of an existing cavity or tract. Codes 49405–49407 describe image-guided catheter placement to drain collections at specified sites.
Does this code include the imaging interpretation?
Yes. The service includes radiological supervision and interpretation along with the contrast injection.
Can I append modifier 50 for a study involving both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; modifier 50 should not be used.
How does the multiple-procedure rule affect payment?
For procedures performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction.
What documentation supports reporting 49424?
Document the cavity or tract assessed, the clinical reason, the contrast injection and imaging, and the interpretation. The record should make clear that the study assessed an existing access or tract rather than placing a new drain.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
5,80149421,,Ins tun ip cath for dial opn,A,,4.10,1.06,NA,1.06,,1.03,6.19,6.19,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,80249422,,Remove tunneled ip cath,A,,3.90,1.18,NA,1.18,,0.96,6.04,6.04,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,80349423,,Exchange drainage catheter,A,,1.42,14.87,,0.24,,0.16,16.45,1.82,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,80449424,,Assess cyst contrast inject,A,,0.74,4.31,,0.15,,0.07,5.12,0.96,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,80549425,,Insert abdomen-venous drain,A,,11.91,7.26,NA,7.26,,3.18,22.35,22.35,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,80649426,,Revise abdomen-venous shunt,A,,10.15,6.38,NA,6.38,,2.71,19.24,19.24,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,80749427,,Injection abdominal shunt,A,,0.87,0.08,NA,0.08,,0.11,1.06,1.06,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00