Billing code 50980: Ureter endoscopyMedicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports endoscopic treatment within the ureter, selected when the operative record documents a therapeutic procedure rather than diagnostic inspection alone.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 50980 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 50980 covers
A urologist uses an endoscope to inspect the ureter and treat an identified ureteral condition during the same procedure. The operative report should make clear that treatment was performed, not merely that the ureter was examined. This service is typically performed in a procedural or operating-room setting; the specific treatment and ureteral site should be documented.
Select this code when the documented service matches its therapeutic endoscopy scope, rather than a diagnostic-only or biopsy service. Record the treated finding, the work performed, and the side involved. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of 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 50980 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 | $313.00 |
| Beaumont | Unavailable | $304.79 |
| Brazoria | Unavailable | $307.21 |
| Dallas | Unavailable | $309.98 |
| Fort Worth | Unavailable | $309.75 |
| Galveston | Unavailable | $308.71 |
| Houston | Unavailable | $324.46 |
| Rest Of Texas | Unavailable | $306.41 |
How the 50980 rate is calculated
Each of 50980’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 · 50980
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work6.67
6.67 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.82
1.82 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.86
0.86 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
9.3500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$312.30
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 50980
The CMS indicators that decide how 50980 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 50980
Ureter endoscopy
| 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 | 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) | 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 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
50980 without 50 · national facility
$312.30
Ureter endoscopy
50980-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$468.45
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).
50980 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 50951Ureteroscopy
- 50951 represents diagnostic ureter endoscopy. Report 50980 when the operative record documents treatment during the endoscopic procedure.
- 50955Ureteroscopy
- 50955 is for ureter endoscopy with biopsy. Use 50980 for a therapeutic service rather than biopsy alone.
- 50976Ureteroscopy
- Both are therapeutic ureter endoscopy codes. Choose between them based on the specific procedure documented and the applicable code descriptor.
50980 billing questions
When is this code selected instead of diagnostic ureter endoscopy?
Use this code when the operative record documents treatment performed during ureter endoscopy. Diagnostic inspection alone is represented by a diagnostic endoscopy code.
How does this differ from ureter endoscopy with biopsy?
Choose the biopsy code when tissue sampling is the documented service. This code represents therapeutic ureter endoscopy, not biopsy alone.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should identify the ureteral finding, the treatment actually performed, and the side treated. Documentation of endoscopic visualization alone does not establish a therapeutic service.
How are same-session procedures paid?
CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction to the others. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in this code's 0-day global period.
Can modifier 50 be reported for bilateral treatment?
CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. The record should support treatment on both sides.
When is an assistant-at-surgery service payable?
CMS pays an assistant at surgery only when documentation supports medical necessity. 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 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 50980 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 →