Billing code 50940: Ureteral releaseMedicare rate & RVUs in Utah
Reports operative freeing of a ureter from surrounding tissue, with repositioning when needed, to relieve tethering or entrapment.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 50940 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 50940 covers
This operation frees the ureter from tissue that is tethering or compressing it; the surgeon may reposition the ureter after release. A urologist or another surgeon may perform it in an operating room when the operative findings call for mobilizing the ureter, such as in the setting of scarring or endometriosis. The record should identify the affected ureter and describe the dissection and any repositioning performed.
Report the code for the ureteral release actually performed, rather than for repair of a ureteral defect or removal of a stone. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. 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 50% reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires 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.
50940 in Utah
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | Unavailable | $780.90 |
How the 50940 rate is calculated
Each of 50940’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 · 50940
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 15.53Practice expense 6.44Malpractice 2.00
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 50940
50940 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 50940
Ureteral release
| 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 · 50940
Ureteral release
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
50940 without 50 · national facility
$800.62
Ureteral release
50940-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$1,200.93
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).
50940 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
50940 vs 50715 vs 50900 vs 50945: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 50715Ureterolysis
- This code is associated with ureterolysis for retroperitoneal fibrosis. Select based on the documented procedure and indication.
- 50900Ureter repair
- 50900 represents repair of the ureter. Choose this code when the surgeon repairs a defect rather than freeing the ureter from surrounding tissue.
- 50945Ureterolithotomy
- 50945 describes laparoscopic ureterolithotomy, which removes a ureteral stone; it is not a code for ureteral release.
50940 billing questions
How is ureteral release different from ureteral repair?
This code describes freeing the ureter from surrounding tissue, with possible repositioning. Use a repair code when the operative work repairs a ureteral defect.
What operative documentation supports this code?
Document the side, the tissue or scarring tethering the ureter, and the dissection that freed it. Include whether the ureter was repositioned.
How should bilateral release be reported?
Report bilateral work with modifier 50. CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
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.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
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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