$224.24–$257.44
45330 describes diagnostic flexible sigmoidoscopy without biopsy. Select 45331 when tissue is sampled during the examination.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
45331 Sigmoidoscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Washington
Reports flexible sigmoidoscopy with one or more tissue biopsies when a clinician samples the rectum or distal colon for diagnosis. Compare 45331 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Washington.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 45331 in Washington?
Washington has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$337.26–$387.83
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$67.49–$73.49
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Gastroenterology
About 45331: Flexible sigmoidoscopy with biopsy
Reports flexible sigmoidoscopy with one or more tissue biopsies when a clinician samples the rectum or distal colon for diagnosis.
A clinician advances a flexible endoscope through the anus to examine the rectum and distal colon, then collects mucosal tissue for analysis. Gastroenterologists and colorectal surgeons commonly perform this service in an endoscopy unit, hospital outpatient department, or office. Typical reasons include evaluating suspected colitis, unexplained rectal bleeding, or an abnormality seen on prior testing. The biopsy may involve one or multiple tissue samples during the same examination.
Report this code when the procedure includes tissue biopsy, rather than inspection alone; the number of samples does not determine separate units. The record should identify the sampled site and clinical reason, and support that tissue was obtained. The service has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When related endoscopies are performed together, CMS endoscopy-family pricing applies. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 45331
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
- Multiple procedures
- Endoscopy family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU1.11 · 11%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.42 · 87%
- Malpractice RVU0.14 · 1%
35.9K
Medicare services in 2024 · #915 by national volume
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.
45331 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Washington, from the same CMS release.
$383.42–$439.69
45333 is for polyp removal during flexible sigmoidoscopy; 45331 is for biopsy sampling. Distinguish tissue sampling from removal of a lesion.
$205.47–$234.08
45305 describes biopsy during proctosigmoidoscopy. Use 45331 for biopsy performed with flexible sigmoidoscopy.
Compare 45331 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
2 of 2 payment localities
Rest Of Washington →
Office / nonfacility
$337.26
Facility
$67.49
Seattle (King Cnty) →
Office / nonfacility
$387.83
Facility
$73.49
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45331 billing questions
How does this differ from diagnostic sigmoidoscopy?
Use 45331 when the flexible examination includes tissue sampling. Use 45330 when the examination is diagnostic without biopsy or another reportable intervention.
Can multiple biopsy samples be reported as multiple units?
No. The code covers one or multiple biopsies during the sigmoidoscopy; the number of specimens alone does not create additional units.
Can the biopsy and a polypectomy be reported together?
A biopsy that is simply part of removing the same lesion should not be represented separately as a diagnostic biopsy. Distinct sampling or treatment requires documentation of what was done and where.
Should modifier 50 be used for biopsies on both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, and modifier 50 should not be used.
Is same-day care included in the payment?
Yes. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be billed?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service. Co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
5,49645321,,Proctosigmoidoscopy volvul,A,,1.61,0.90,NA,0.90,,0.43,2.94,2.94,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,1,0,0,9,45300,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,49745327,,Proctosigmoidoscopy w/stent,A,,1.85,0.96,NA,0.96,,0.48,3.29,3.29,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,1,0,0,9,45300,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,49845330,,Diagnostic sigmoidoscopy,A,,0.82,5.50,,0.67,,0.12,6.44,1.61,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,49945331,,Sigmoidoscopy and biopsy,A,,1.11,8.42,,0.75,,0.14,9.67,2.00,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,1,0,0,9,45330,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,50045332,,Sigmoidoscopy w/fb removal,A,,1.72,7.43,,0.93,,0.22,9.37,2.87,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,1,0,0,9,45330,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,50145333,,Sigmoidoscopy & polypectomy,A,,1.51,9.29,,0.86,,0.22,11.02,2.59,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,1,0,0,9,45330,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5,50245334,,Sigmoidoscopy for bleeding,A,,1.95,14.12,,1.00,,0.22,16.29,3.17,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,1,0,0,9,45330,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00