Billing code 44121: Small bowel resectionMedicare rate & RVUs in Utah
Reports an additional small-intestine segment resection with anastomosis performed during an operative session that includes the primary resection.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 44121 in Utah.
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 44121 covers
This add-on describes another small-intestine segment resection with an anastomosis during the same operative session as the primary resection. A surgeon may perform it when separate diseased segments require individual removal and reconnection, such as in a patient with more than one affected area of bowel. It distinguishes an additional resection and anastomosis from simply removing a longer continuous segment.
Report 44121 with the applicable primary procedure, not by itself. The operative report should establish that an additional segment was resected and anastomosed, beyond the resection represented by the primary code. CMS treats this as an add-on code: payment is handled within the primary procedure’s global period. The primary procedure and the additional work should be identifiable in the operative documentation.
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.
44121 in Utah
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | Unavailable | $210.63 |
How the 44121 rate is calculated
Each of 44121’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 · 44121
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 4.33Practice expense 1.08Malpractice 1.07
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 44121
The CMS indicators that decide how 44121 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 44121
Small bowel resection
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| 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. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 80 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
44121 without 80 · national facility
$216.44
Small bowel resection
44121-80 · Assistant: 16%
$34.63
A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.
44121 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
44121 vs 44120 vs 44125 vs 44203: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 44120Small-bowel resection
- 44120 reports the primary small-intestine resection with anastomosis. Use 44121 only for an additional resection and anastomosis in the same operative session.
- 44125Small-bowel resection
- 44125 describes a small-intestine resection with enterostomy. 44121 is for additional resection work with anastomosis.
- 44203Small bowel resection
- 44203 is the laparoscopic add-on for additional small-intestine resection and anastomosis; 44121 is the corresponding add-on for the open procedure.
44121 billing questions
When is 44121 reported with 44120?
Use 44121 for an additional small-intestine resection and anastomosis beyond the primary resection reported with 44120. The additional work must be documented in the operative report.
Can 44121 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with an applicable primary procedure.
Does a longer single resection support 44121?
Not by itself. The documentation should show another resection and anastomosis, rather than only a longer continuous segment removed as part of the primary resection.
How does 44121 differ from 44125?
44121 represents an additional resection with anastomosis. 44125 describes a small-intestine resection with an enterostomy, a different reconstruction.
How is 44121 paid in relation to the primary procedure?
CMS identifies it as an add-on code paid within the primary procedure’s global period. It cannot be reported without the primary procedure.
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
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