$118.99–$133.85
Choose 50690 for injection through a ureteral catheter. Choose 50684 for an antegrade study using existing nephrostomy access.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
50690 Ureteral injection Medicare reimbursement rates in Texas
Report this service for injecting contrast through a ureteral catheter to opacify the ureter or collecting system for a retrograde urinary tract study. Compare 50690 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 50690 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
$109.85–$120.88
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 50690 pays more and less in Texas
8 payment localities
$109.85 to $120.88
Urology procedure
About 50690: Retrograde ureteral contrast injection
Report this service for injecting contrast through a ureteral catheter to opacify the ureter or collecting system for a retrograde urinary tract study.
A urologist injects contrast through a ureteral catheter to outline the ureter and, when needed, the renal collecting system on X-ray. The injection may be performed during an operative or endoscopic encounter to assess anatomy or investigate a suspected narrowing, obstruction, or filling defect. This code represents the injection procedure, not the radiologist’s interpretation of the images.
Select 50690 when the documented service is injection through a ureteral catheter for retrograde ureterography or ureteropyelography. The record should identify the access route, contrast injection, and study performed. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 50690
- 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU1.13 · 32%
- Practice expense (office) RVU2.25 · 64%
- Malpractice RVU0.12 · 3%
1.2K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2816 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.
50690 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Texas, from the same CMS release.
$262.44–$290.85
52005 describes cystourethroscopy with ureteral catheterization and may include instillation or ureteropyelography. 50690 describes the injection procedure through a ureteral catheter, not the cystoscopic catheterization service.
$75.41–$84.75
74420 covers radiological supervision and interpretation of retrograde urography; 50690 covers the contrast injection procedure.
Compare 50690 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 $120.88 | Facility $62.93 |
| Beaumont | Office $109.85 | Facility $60.01 |
| Brazoria | Office $115.65 | Facility $61.36 |
| Dallas | Office $116.37 | Facility $61.81 |
| Fort Worth | Office $115.67 | Facility $61.66 |
| Galveston | Office $115.99 | Facility $61.60 |
| Houston | Office $118.19 | Facility $63.79 |
| Rest Of Texas | Office $112.68 | Facility $60.70 |
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50690 billing questions
How does 50690 differ from 50684?
50690 describes contrast injection through a ureteral catheter for a retrograde study. 50684 is for an antegrade nephrostogram or ureterogram through existing access.
Does 50690 include the image interpretation?
No. 50690 represents the injection procedure; 74420 describes radiological supervision and interpretation for retrograde urography when that service is performed and documented.
Can 50690 be reported with 52005?
52005 describes cystourethroscopy with ureteral catheterization and may include instillation or ureteropyelography. Do not use 50690 as a substitute for that cystoscopic service or separately report the same work without support for distinct services.
Can modifier 50 be used when both ureters are studied?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inapplicable to 50690, so modifier 50 is not appropriate.
How does the multiple-procedure reduction affect 50690?
When multiple procedures are 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 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.
5,96550684,,Injection for ureter x-ray,A,,0.74,3.02,,0.58,,0.08,3.84,1.40,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,96650686,,Measure ureter pressure,A,,1.47,2.75,,0.75,,0.19,4.41,2.41,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,96750688,,Change of ureter tube/stent,A,,1.17,0.83,NA,0.83,,0.13,2.13,2.13,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,96850690,,Injection for ureter x-ray,A,,1.13,2.25,,0.61,,0.12,3.50,1.86,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,96950693,,Plmt ureteral stent prq,A,,3.86,24.06,,1.00,,0.42,28.34,5.28,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,97050694,,Plmt ureteral stent prq,A,,5.12,26.09,,1.19,,0.55,31.76,6.86,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,97150695,,Plmt ureteral stent prq,A,,6.63,30.77,,1.44,,0.71,38.11,8.78,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00