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CPT 44186: Laparoscopic Jejunostomy, Laparoscopic Enteral Access

CPT code 44186 represents a laparoscopic jejunostomy — a minimally invasive surgical procedure to create an opening in the jejunum for enteral access. This code is clinically significant for hospitals and surgical centers that provide nutritional support or decompression when proximal gastrointestinal access is not appropriate. Nationally, jejunostomy procedures are important in the management of patients requiring long-term enteral feeding or bowel rest and can affect surgical resource allocation, site-of-service planning, and post-operative care protocols.

Key payers considered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context and typical sites of service, payer coverage perspectives, and benchmark topics commonly reviewed for surgical enteral access codes. The publication outlines standard documentation elements relevant to coding, common modifiers referenced in practice, and typical areas where policy updates or payer guidelines can influence claims processing.

This summary is intended for national audiences including coding professionals, surgical administrators, and policy analysts seeking a focused briefing on CPT code 44186, its clinical use, and the payer landscape. Data not available in the input are noted where applicable.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 44186 describes a laparoscopic jejunostomy, a surgical procedure in which a clinician creates an opening (stoma) into the jejunum, the second part of the small intestine. The procedure is performed using laparoscopic (minimally invasive) techniques.

Service type: Surgical — laparoscopic enteral access procedure

Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or ambulatory surgical center, with perioperative and short inpatient care as clinically indicated.

Data not available in the input.

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CPT 44186: Laparoscopic Jejunostomy, Laparoscopic Enteral Access

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Surgical — laparoscopic enteral access procedure

Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or ambulatory surgical center, with perioperative and short inpatient care as clinically indicated.

Data not available in the input.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient for 44186 is an adult hospitalized patient who requires long-term enteral access distal to the stomach due to impaired gastric emptying, high aspiration risk, proximal small-bowel obstruction, severe pancreatitis, or the need for postpyloric feeding. The clinical workflow begins with evaluation by the surgical team and nutrition services, confirmation that nasoenteric tube feeding is inadequate or contraindicated, and review of imaging to identify suitable jejunal access. The patient is taken to the operating room for a laparoscopic procedure under general anesthesia. The surgeon obtains abdominal access, visualizes the jejunum, selects an appropriate jejunal loop (typically distal to the ligament of Treitz), creates a controlled enterotomy, and secures a feeding catheter or tube to the abdominal wall with a jejunostomy tube or button. Intraoperative steps include laparoscopic inspection for adhesions or obstruction, enterotomy creation, tube placement and testing, securing the tube with sutures or fixation device, and closure of laparoscopic ports. Postoperative care includes monitoring for pain, infection, tube function and placement confirmation (radiograph if indicated), initiation of enteral feeding per protocol, and discharge planning with home health or outpatient nutrition follow-up when appropriate.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the procedure required substantially greater work, time, or difficulty than typical (document specific reasons).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is medically contraindicated and unavoidable circumstances necessitate use of heavy sedation or an unusual anesthetic technique.
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the professional component of a bundled service (rare for primary surgical procedure).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when a procedure is performed bilaterally; generally not applicable to jejunostomy but included for completeness if dual sites performed.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when multiple distinct procedures are performed during the same operative session; report primary code first, add `51` to secondary codes per payer rules.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the full service described by the CPT code was not performed or was partially reduced or cancelled.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is terminated due to extenuating circumstances or patient safety prior to completion.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of the procedure.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Use when the same physician repeats the procedure within the global period (repeat listed under `73`/`76` family; note: `73`/`74` often used; `73` and `76` are in the provided list as `73` and `sg`—use `73` below).
`73`	Discontinued outpatient hospital/ambulatory surgery center procedure prior to administration of anesthesia	Use when the outpatient procedure is stopped prior to anesthesia administration.
`78`	Unplanned return to OR by same physician following initial procedure for a related procedure during the postoperative period	Use when an unplanned take-back to the OR is required for a surgery-related complication.
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service during the postoperative period	Use when an unrelated procedure occurs during the global period.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use to indicate a procedure or service independent from other services performed on the same day when appropriate.
`62`	Team surgery (duplicate entry removed)	See above (used when two surgeons of different specialties operate together).

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`408600000X`	General Surgery	Primary specialty performing laparoscopic jejunostomy; manages surgical access and postoperative care.
`208800000X`	Colon & Rectal Surgery	Relevant for complex colorectal disease or adhesive disease requiring jejunal access.
`103K00000X`	Critical Care Medicine	Involved for medically complex, ICU patients requiring enteral access and ongoing critical care management.
`207L00000X`	Gastroenterology	Involved for nutritional planning, tube feeding management, and pre/post procedure assessment.
`362M00000X`	Vascular Surgery	Occasionally involved when combined procedures or complex abdominal vascular considerations exist.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K91.2`	Esophageal reflux and other postprocedural disorders of the digestive system	Relevant when prior gastric surgery or complications necessitate jejunal feeding access.
`K56.6`	Other and unspecified intestinal obstruction	Jejunostomy may be indicated when proximal obstruction prevents gastric or duodenal feeding.
`K57.30`	Diverticulosis of large intestine without perforation or abscess	Complex abdominal disease and prior surgeries may lead to need for jejunal access.
`K85.9`	Acute pancreatitis, unspecified	Severe pancreatitis often requires postpyloric feeding via jejunostomy to reduce pancreatic stimulation.
`R63.3`	Feeding difficulties and mismanagement	Clinical indication when long-term enteral feeding is required and oral intake is inadequate.
`Z98.890`	Other specified postprocedural states	Relevant to patients with prior abdominal operations influencing choice of enteral access.
`T81.4XXA`	Infection following a procedure, initial encounter	Jejunostomy creation may be performed to manage or bypass infected anatomical sites affecting nutrition.
`Z90.49`	Acquired absence of other specified parts of digestive tract	Relevant when prior resections require alternative feeding routes such as jejunostomy.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`49440`	Insertion or replacement of gastrostomy tube, percutaneous, without imaging guidance	Alternative enteral access when stomach access is preferred; may be performed instead of or prior to jejunostomy when gastric feeding is appropriate.
`44380`	Insertion of jejunostomy tube, open; without gastrostomy	Open surgical jejunostomy approach; an alternative when laparoscopy is contraindicated.
`43830`	Exploration, laparotomy, peritoneal cavity; diagnostic	Performed when diagnostic exploration precedes creation of enteral access in complex abdominal disease.
`49000`	Exploratory laparotomy, exploratory median incision, peritoneal cavity; initial	May be performed when open access is required rather than laparoscopic approach for jejunostomy placement.
`49441`	Replacement of gastrostomy tube, percutaneous, with imaging guidance	Performed postoperatively if tube malfunction requires image-guided exchange or repositioning.
`43770`	Gastrostomy, percutaneous, endoscopic, without imaging	Endoscopic gastrostomy placement as an alternative for gastric feeding access prior to conversion to jejunostomy if needed.

CPT 44187: Laparoscopic Placement of Nontube Ileostomy or Jejunostomy

CPT-44188-LAPAROSCOPIC-COLOSTOMY-SKIN-LEVEL-CECOSTOMY

CPT 44188: Laparoscopic Colostomy or Skin-Level Cecostomy

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the procedure required substantially greater work, time, or difficulty than typical (document specific reasons).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is medically contraindicated and unavoidable circumstances necessitate use of heavy sedation or an unusual anesthetic technique.
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the professional component of a bundled service (rare for primary surgical procedure).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when a procedure is performed bilaterally; generally not applicable to jejunostomy but included for completeness if dual sites performed.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when multiple distinct procedures are performed during the same operative session; report primary code first, add `51` to secondary codes per payer rules.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the full service described by the CPT code was not performed or was partially reduced or cancelled.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is terminated due to extenuating circumstances or patient safety prior to completion.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of the procedure.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Use when the same physician repeats the procedure within the global period (repeat listed under `73`/`76` family; note: `73`/`74` often used; `73` and `76` are in the provided list as `73` and `sg`—use `73` below).
`73`	Discontinued outpatient hospital/ambulatory surgery center procedure prior to administration of anesthesia	Use when the outpatient procedure is stopped prior to anesthesia administration.
`78`	Unplanned return to OR by same physician following initial procedure for a related procedure during the postoperative period	Use when an unplanned take-back to the OR is required for a surgery-related complication.
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service during the postoperative period	Use when an unrelated procedure occurs during the global period.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use to indicate a procedure or service independent from other services performed on the same day when appropriate.
`62`	Team surgery (duplicate entry removed)	See above (used when two surgeons of different specialties operate together).

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`408600000X`	General Surgery	Primary specialty performing laparoscopic jejunostomy; manages surgical access and postoperative care.
`208800000X`	Colon & Rectal Surgery	Relevant for complex colorectal disease or adhesive disease requiring jejunal access.
`103K00000X`	Critical Care Medicine	Involved for medically complex, ICU patients requiring enteral access and ongoing critical care management.
`207L00000X`	Gastroenterology	Involved for nutritional planning, tube feeding management, and pre/post procedure assessment.
`362M00000X`	Vascular Surgery	Occasionally involved when combined procedures or complex abdominal vascular considerations exist.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K91.2`	Esophageal reflux and other postprocedural disorders of the digestive system	Relevant when prior gastric surgery or complications necessitate jejunal feeding access.
`K56.6`	Other and unspecified intestinal obstruction	Jejunostomy may be indicated when proximal obstruction prevents gastric or duodenal feeding.
`K57.30`	Diverticulosis of large intestine without perforation or abscess	Complex abdominal disease and prior surgeries may lead to need for jejunal access.
`K85.9`	Acute pancreatitis, unspecified	Severe pancreatitis often requires postpyloric feeding via jejunostomy to reduce pancreatic stimulation.
`R63.3`	Feeding difficulties and mismanagement	Clinical indication when long-term enteral feeding is required and oral intake is inadequate.
`Z98.890`	Other specified postprocedural states	Relevant to patients with prior abdominal operations influencing choice of enteral access.
`T81.4XXA`	Infection following a procedure, initial encounter	Jejunostomy creation may be performed to manage or bypass infected anatomical sites affecting nutrition.
`Z90.49`	Acquired absence of other specified parts of digestive tract	Relevant when prior resections require alternative feeding routes such as jejunostomy.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`49440`	Insertion or replacement of gastrostomy tube, percutaneous, without imaging guidance	Alternative enteral access when stomach access is preferred; may be performed instead of or prior to jejunostomy when gastric feeding is appropriate.
`44380`	Insertion of jejunostomy tube, open; without gastrostomy	Open surgical jejunostomy approach; an alternative when laparoscopy is contraindicated.
`43830`	Exploration, laparotomy, peritoneal cavity; diagnostic	Performed when diagnostic exploration precedes creation of enteral access in complex abdominal disease.
`49000`	Exploratory laparotomy, exploratory median incision, peritoneal cavity; initial	May be performed when open access is required rather than laparoscopic approach for jejunostomy placement.
`49441`	Replacement of gastrostomy tube, percutaneous, with imaging guidance	Performed postoperatively if tube malfunction requires image-guided exchange or repositioning.
`43770`	Gastrostomy, percutaneous, endoscopic, without imaging	Endoscopic gastrostomy placement as an alternative for gastric feeding access prior to conversion to jejunostomy if needed.

CPT 44187: Laparoscopic Placement of Nontube Ileostomy or Jejunostomy

CPT-44188-LAPAROSCOPIC-COLOSTOMY-SKIN-LEVEL-CECOSTOMY

CPT 44188: Laparoscopic Colostomy or Skin-Level Cecostomy

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

OpenPayer

CPT 44186: Laparoscopic Jejunostomy, Laparoscopic Enteral Access

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 44186: Laparoscopic Jejunostomy, Laparoscopic Enteral Access

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Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References