$384.56–$412.51
Both describe diagnostic renal endoscopy, but the access route differs: 50551 uses an established nephrostomy or pyelostomy, while 50553 uses nephrotomy or pyelotomy.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
50551 Renal endoscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Texas
Reports endoscopic inspection of the kidney’s collecting system through an established nephrostomy or pyelostomy, with permitted irrigation, instillation, or ureteropyelography. Compare 50551 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 50551 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
$359.98–$386.14
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 50551 pays more and less in Texas
8 payment localities
$359.98 to $386.14
Urology
About 50551: Diagnostic renal endoscopy through established access
Reports endoscopic inspection of the kidney’s collecting system through an established nephrostomy or pyelostomy, with permitted irrigation, instillation, or ureteropyelography.
A urologist uses an endoscope passed through an existing nephrostomy or pyelostomy tract to examine the renal collecting system, including the renal pelvis and calyces. The service may include irrigation, instillation, or ureteropyelography. A typical setting is a hospital facility where a patient already has percutaneous access, such as access created to drain an obstructed collecting system. The defining feature is use of an established tract, rather than creating a new opening for the endoscope.
Report this code when the documented service is renal endoscopy through that established access and does not instead involve a separately specified biopsy or treatment procedure. The operative note should identify the access route, side, structures examined, and any included maneuvers. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, payment is 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 50551
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- 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 RVU5.45 · 48%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.14 · 46%
- Malpractice RVU0.70 · 6%
96
Medicare services in 2024 · #4918 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.
50551 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Texas, from the same CMS release.
$410.52–$440.21
Use the biopsy code when renal endoscopy includes tissue sampling; 50551 describes the established-access endoscopy without that biopsy service.
$417.45–$447.67
Use the treatment code when the endoscopy includes treatment of a lesion. 50551 is the diagnostic established-access service.
No office rate
50570 concerns endoscopy of the ureter through ureterotomy. 50551 reaches the kidney’s collecting system through an established nephrostomy or pyelostomy.
Compare 50551 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 $384.75 | Facility $260.36 |
| Beaumont | Office $359.98 | Facility $253.00 |
| Brazoria | Office $371.86 | Facility $255.35 |
| Dallas | Office $374.73 | Facility $257.63 |
| Fort Worth | Office $373.31 | Facility $257.39 |
| Galveston | Office $373.33 | Facility $256.58 |
| Houston | Office $386.14 | Facility $269.39 |
| Rest Of Texas | Office $366.07 | Facility $254.50 |
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50551 billing questions
How does this differ from 50553?
This code uses an established nephrostomy or pyelostomy tract. Code 50553 is the diagnostic renal endoscopy option when access is through a nephrotomy or pyelotomy.
Can this code be used when a biopsy is taken?
Choose the applicable renal endoscopy code for biopsy when tissue sampling is performed. The operative note should make clear whether the service was inspection alone or included biopsy.
Are irrigation and ureteropyelography included?
They may be part of this renal endoscopy service. The code’s scope includes irrigation, instillation, or ureteropyelography performed through the established access.
What documentation supports the established-access distinction?
Document that the endoscope entered through an existing nephrostomy or pyelostomy tract, along with the side, areas examined, findings, and any additional procedure performed.
How are bilateral procedures and multiple procedures paid?
CMS pays bilateral reporting with modifier 50 at 150%. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%.
When is assistant-at-surgery payment allowed?
CMS allows assistant-at-surgery payment only when medical necessity is documented. 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 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.
5,93750547,,Laparo removal donor kidney,A,,25.68,14.12,NA,14.12,,6.31,46.11,46.11,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,93850548,,Laparo remove w/ureter,A,,24.73,7.71,NA,7.71,,3.22,35.66,35.66,0,090,0.08,0.83,0.09,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,93950549,,Unlisted laps px renal,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,YYY,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,2,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,94050551,,Kidney endoscopy,A,,5.45,5.14,,1.62,,0.70,11.29,7.77,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,94150553,,Kidney endoscopy,A,,5.83,5.48,,1.70,,0.75,12.06,8.28,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,94250555,,Kidney endoscopy & biopsy,A,,6.36,5.68,,1.80,,0.82,12.86,8.98,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,1,0,0,0,9,50551,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,94350557,,Kidney endoscopy & treatment,A,,6.44,5.81,,1.82,,0.83,13.08,9.09,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,1,0,0,0,9,50551,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00