Billing code 50815: Urinary diversionMedicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports urinary diversion by connecting the ureters to the sigmoid colon so urine drains into the bowel rather than a bladder or external conduit.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 50815 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 50815 covers
A ureterosigmoidostomy routes urine from the ureters into the sigmoid colon, where it leaves the body with bowel contents. A urologist typically performs this major reconstructive operation in a hospital operating room, often when the bladder has been removed or cannot serve as a functional reservoir. The procedure involves joining the ureters to the sigmoid bowel; it does not create a separate cutaneous urinary stoma or an isolated continent reservoir.
Select this code when the operative report documents urinary drainage through the sigmoid colon. Distinguish it from diversion with a constructed conduit or continent reservoir, and from other ureter-to-bowel connections based on the actual reconstruction performed. Documentation should identify the bowel segment, ureteral connections, and intended route of urine drainage. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, payment is at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery 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.
Where 50815 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 | $1,104.30 |
| Beaumont | Unavailable | $1,065.47 |
| Brazoria | Unavailable | $1,080.07 |
| Dallas | Unavailable | $1,089.44 |
| Fort Worth | Unavailable | $1,087.85 |
| Galveston | Unavailable | $1,085.09 |
| Houston | Unavailable | $1,135.97 |
| Rest Of Texas | Unavailable | $1,073.95 |
How the 50815 rate is calculated
Each of 50815’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 · 50815
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 21.70Practice expense 8.37Malpractice 2.78
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 50815
50815 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 50815
Urinary diversion
| 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) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| 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) | 0.08/0.83/0.09 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 50815
Urinary diversion
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 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
50815 without 50 · national facility
$1,097.22
Urinary diversion
50815-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$1,645.83
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
50815 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
50815 vs 50810 vs 50820 vs 50825 vs 50800: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 50810Ureter-bowel connection
- 50815 specifies drainage into the sigmoid colon. Select 50810 when the documented ureter-to-colon procedure matches that code's bowel-site description instead.
- 50820Urinary diversion
- 50820 describes diversion with construction of a conduit, such as an ileal conduit. 50815 routes urine into the sigmoid colon.
- 50825Urinary diversion
- 50825 involves construction of a continent urinary reservoir; 50815 connects the ureters to the sigmoid colon for drainage.
- 50800Ureteral implantation
- 50800 covers a ureter-to-intestine anastomosis without the specific ureterosigmoidostomy designation. Use 50815 when the operative report identifies the sigmoid route.
50815 billing questions
When should 50815 be selected instead of a conduit code?
Use 50815 when the ureters drain into the sigmoid colon. A diversion that constructs an ileal conduit is a different reconstruction.
How does 50815 differ from a continent-reservoir diversion?
A ureterosigmoidostomy directs urine into the sigmoid colon. A continent-reservoir procedure constructs a separate storage pouch.
Is the bowel connection separately reported?
The ureter-to-sigmoid connection is part of the diversion represented by 50815. The operative report should establish that this is the route of urinary drainage.
What documentation supports bilateral reporting?
Document the connections for both ureters and report modifier 50 when billing the bilateral procedure. CMS payment for bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is 150%.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
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
Fee sheets
Put 50815 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →