CPT code 51990: Urethral suspension2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Utah
Laparoscopic urethral suspension treats stress urinary incontinence by elevating periurethral support tissues and is reported when that operation is performed.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 51990 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 51990 covers
51990 describes laparoscopic suspension of urethral support tissues to treat stress urinary incontinence, commonly using a Burch-type colposuspension. Through abdominal ports, the surgeon places sutures in tissue beside the urethra and secures it to pelvic support structures, elevating support at the bladder neck. Urologists and urogynecologists typically perform the procedure in an operating room under anesthesia for patients with leakage during coughing, exertion, or sneezing.
Select this code for laparoscopic urethral suspension, not a laparoscopic graft or synthetic sling operation (51992). The operative report should establish the laparoscopic approach, suspension technique, and tissues fixed. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care through day 90. When other procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and additional procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Do not use modifier 50; this is a single suspension service, not a paired-side procedure. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; 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.
51990 in Utah
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | Unavailable | $654.48 |
How the 51990 rate is calculated
Each of 51990’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 · 51990
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work13.03
13.03 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense5.35
5.35 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.71
1.71 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
20.0900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$671.02
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 51990
51990 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 51990
Urethral suspension
| 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) | 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. |
| 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 · 51990
Urethral suspension
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 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
51990 without 51 · national facility
$671.02
Urethral suspension
51990-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$335.51
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
51990 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 51992Urinary sling
- Choose 51990 for laparoscopic urethral suspension, commonly a Burch-type colposuspension; choose 51992 for a laparoscopic sling operation.
- 57288Sling procedure
- Both address stress urinary incontinence with suspension or sling support, but 57288 describes a sling operation performed by a nonlaparoscopic approach.
- 51715Urethral bulking
- 51715 describes urethral bulking by injection, not laparoscopic elevation and fixation of urethral support tissues.
51990 billing questions
How is 51990 different from 51992?
51990 describes laparoscopic urethral suspension, typically a suture-based colposuspension. Use 51992 when the surgeon performs a laparoscopic sling operation.
Are related preoperative and postoperative visits included?
Yes. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care through day 90.
Should modifier 50 be added for bilateral work?
No. Report the suspension as a single service; modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
What operative documentation supports 51990?
Document the laparoscopic access, the suspension technique, and the tissues secured to pelvic support structures. The note should make clear that a sling operation was not performed instead.
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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