CPT 44615 Intestinal Stricture Repair Reimbursement | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 44615: Repair of Intestinal Stricture by Enterotomy or Enterorrhaphy

CPT code 44615 denotes surgical repair of an intestinal stricture by enterotomy or enterorrhaphy, with or without dilation, to relieve intestinal obstruction. This code captures a definitive operative intervention for mechanical narrowing of the bowel and is significant for hospitals and surgical practices involved in acute abdominal care. Nationally, procedures addressing bowel obstruction contribute materially to inpatient surgical caseloads and resource utilization, making accurate coding important for clinical documentation, quality tracking, and billing integrity.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context for 44615, common settings where the procedure is performed, and the categories of data typically reviewed for benchmarking and payment considerations. The publication summarizes coding intent, expected service line placement (inpatient/operating room), and typical clinical indications. It also outlines what types of benchmarks and policy updates are relevant for stakeholders, including payer coverage patterns, utilization measures, and documentation priorities.

This summary is intended for a national audience of clinicians, coding professionals, and policy analysts seeking clear, actionable information about the clinical meaning and administrative implications of CPT code 44615.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicareCPT 44615intestinal stricture repairenterotomyenterorrhaphyintestinal obstructionsurgical procedureinpatient surgeryoperating roomprocedure coding

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 44615 describes a surgical procedure to repair an intestinal stricture (narrowing) using an enterotomy (incision of the intestine) or enterorrhaphy (suturing of the intestine), performed with or without dilation to treat intestinal obstruction. The primary service type is surgical treatment of intestinal obstruction and stricture. The typical site of service for this procedure is an operating room in an acute care hospital or other inpatient surgical setting where abdominal surgeries are performed.

Data not available in the input.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is an adult presenting with progressive crampy abdominal pain, intermittent vomiting, and obstipation. Imaging (abdominal CT or contrast studies) demonstrates focal small bowel narrowing with proximal dilatation consistent with an intestinal stricture causing partial or complete mechanical obstruction. The patient has failed conservative management (nasogastric decompression, bowel rest, and IV fluids) or has signs of persistent obstruction or localized ischemia. The surgical team schedules an operative procedure to relieve the obstruction by performing an enterotomy and/or enterorrhaphy to repair the stricture; this may include dilation of the narrowed segment and direct suture repair or resection/anastomosis if indicated. Typical workflow: preoperative evaluation and consent, perioperative antibiotics and VTE prophylaxis, general anesthesia, exploratory laparotomy or laparoscopy as clinically appropriate, identification of stricture, enterotomy and/or suturing of the narrowed segment (with or without controlled dilation), assessment of bowel viability, additional procedures as needed (resection with anastomosis if nonviable), postoperative monitoring for return of bowel function, pain control, and discharge planning. Typical site of service is an inpatient or ambulatory hospital surgical suite under general anesthesia. Service type: surgical — intestinal stricture repair (enterotomy/enterorrhaphy) for obstruction (operative).

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services

CPT 44640: Closure of Intestinal Cutaneous Fistula, with Resection if Needed

CPT-44626-COLORECTAL-ANASTOMOSIS-ENTEROSTOMY-TAKEDOWN

CPT 44626: Colorectal Anastomosis After Enterostomy Takedown

CPT-44661-ENTEROVESICAL-FISTULA-REPAIR-RESECTION-CLOSURE

CPT 44661: Enterovesical Fistula Repair with Resection and Closure

CPT-44680-BOWEL-FOLDING-AND-SUTURING-FOR-STABILIZATION

CPT 44680: Bowel Folding and Suturing to Prevent Fistula, Adhesions

CPT-44650-ENTERIC-FISTULA-CLOSURE

CPT 44650: Enteroenteric or Enterocolic Fistula Closure

CPT-44605-COLON-REPAIR-WITH-COLOSTOMY

CPT 44605: Repair of Large Intestine With Colostomy

CPT-44603-SMALL-INTESTINE-SURGERY

CPT 44603: Small Intestine Surgical Procedure

CPT-44604-COLON-REPAIR-WITH-PERITONEAL-IRRIGATION

CPT 44604: Repair of Colon Tear with Peritoneal Irrigation

CPT-44620-ENTEROSTOMY-CLOSURE

CPT 44620: Enterostomy Closure to Restore Intestinal Continuity

CPT-44660-ENTEROVESICAL-FISTULA-CLOSURE

CPT 44660: Closure of Enterovesical Fistula

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Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207V00000X	General Surgery	General surgeons most commonly perform intestinal stricture repairs and enterotomies/enterorrhaphies.
208000000X	Colon and Rectal Surgery	Colorectal surgeons commonly manage distal small bowel and colonic strictures, particularly complex or recurrent disease.
207P00000X	Pediatric Surgery	Pediatric surgeons perform enterotomy/enterorrhaphy for congenital or acquired strictures in children.
174100000X	Acute Care Surgery	Acute care or trauma surgeons manage obstructive presentations and emergency operative repairs.
207L00000X	Minimally Invasive Surgery	Surgeons specializing in laparoscopy may perform minimally invasive enterotomy and repair when appropriate.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K56.69`	Other intestinal obstruction	Represents mechanical obstruction of the intestine when a more specific code is not applicable; common indication for stricture repair.
`K56.60`	Unspecified intestinal obstruction	Used when obstruction is documented but an exact cause or site is not specified; may lead to surgical exploration and repair.
`K56.2`	Volvulus	Twisting of the bowel can cause obstruction and present similarly; requires operative assessment and may necessitate enterotomy/repair if ischemia is limited.
`K57.30`	Diverticulitis of large intestine without perforation or abscess	Colonic stricture from chronic diverticulitis can produce obstruction and require repair or resection.
`K50.012`	Crohn's disease of small intestine without complications	Crohn disease commonly leads to strictures requiring surgical dilation, enterotomy, or resection.
`K90.89`	Other intestinal malabsorption	Structural sequelae or prior surgeries associated with malabsorption may be linked with adhesive strictures; clinical correlation required.
`K62.9`	Disease of anus and rectum, unspecified	Distal obstructive symptoms or strictures in the rectum/anal canal may require surgical management when causing obstruction.
`K86.89`	Other specified diseases of pancreas	Included when inflammation or fibrosis from adjacent organs contributes to stricturing, though uncommon (used with clinical correlation).

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`49000`	Exploratory laparotomy, exploratory celiotomy with or without biopsy(s) (separate procedure)	Often performed at the start of the operation to identify the site and cause of obstruction prior to enterotomy/enterorrhaphy.
`44120`	Enterectomy, resection of small intestine with anastomosis	Performed when the stricture or compromised bowel requires resection rather than primary repair; may follow attempted repair if viability is poor.
`44204`	Laparoscopy, surgical; small intestine, resection, with anastomosis	Minimally invasive alternative when resection and anastomosis are required for stricture disease.
`49405`	Repair of parastomal or ventral hernia with mesh and lysis of adhesions (example abdominal wall procedures)	May be performed concomitantly if hernia or adhesive disease contributes to obstruction and requires repair during the same anesthetic.
`42700`	Enterolysis, lysis of adhesions, small intestine	Adhesiolysis is commonly performed during the same operation when adhesions cause or contribute to the stricture and obstruction.

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