Billing code 47700: Bile duct explorationMedicare rate & RVUs in Virginia
Reports operative exploration of the bile ducts to investigate suspected ductal disease, such as obstruction or an abnormality identified during abdominal surgery.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 47700 in Virginia.
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 47700 covers
A surgeon explores the bile ducts during an operation to investigate a suspected ductal problem, such as obstruction or an abnormality found in the operative field. General and hepatobiliary surgeons typically perform this work in a hospital operating room. This code describes exploration; removal of a lesion or reconstruction of a duct is a different operative service.
Select the code when the operative report documents actual exploration of the ducts, not imaging alone. If gallbladder removal and common duct exploration are performed together, consider the combined service reported by 47610 rather than separately reporting the exploration. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 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 reduction. Modifier 50 is not appropriate. An assistant at surgery may be paid; 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.
Where 47700 pays more and less in Virginia
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Dc + Md/Va Suburbs | Unavailable | $1,111.89 |
| Virginia | Unavailable | $960.58 |
How the 47700 rate is calculated
Each of 47700’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 · 47700
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work16.09
16.09 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense9.80
9.80 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice4.30
4.30 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
30.1900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,008.37
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 47700
47700 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 47700
Bile duct exploration
| 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) | 0.09/0.81/0.10 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 47700
Bile duct exploration
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
47700 without 51 · national facility
$1,008.37
Bile duct exploration
47700-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$504.19
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%).
47700 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 47610Gallbladder surgery
- 47610 is the combined service when gallbladder removal and common duct exploration are performed. Use 47700 for exploration without that combined cholecystectomy service.
- 47711Bile duct excision
- 47711 reports excision of an intrahepatic bile duct tumor. Exploration without tumor removal is the service described by 47700.
- 47712Bile duct excision
- 47712 reports excision of an extrahepatic bile duct tumor. Choose it when the tumor is excised, not when the operative service is exploration alone.
- 47760Biliary bypass
- 47760 describes creation of a bile duct-to-bowel connection. It represents reconstruction, not exploration of the ducts.
47700 billing questions
When should 47700 be selected instead of 47610?
Use 47700 for operative bile duct exploration without the combined gallbladder-removal service. When cholecystectomy and common duct exploration are performed together, 47610 describes that combined service.
Does an intraoperative cholangiogram alone support 47700?
No. The operative documentation should describe exploration of the bile ducts, rather than imaging alone.
Can exploration be separately reported with bile duct tumor excision?
When the operative service removes a bile duct tumor, select the applicable excision code, such as 47711 or 47712, based on the documented site. Do not separately report exploration that is integral to that excision.
What documentation supports 47700?
The operative report should identify the bile duct exploration performed and the clinical finding or concern prompting it. Document separately performed procedures, such as duct reconstruction or lesion excision, distinctly.
How are assistants and co-surgeons handled?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted for this code.
Does modifier 50 apply to this code?
No. Report the service without modifier 50; bilateral adjustment is not appropriate for this ductal exploration.
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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