CPT 44715 Intestinal Graft Prep Reimbursement | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 44715: Small Intestine Graft Preparation for Transplantation

CPT code 44715 represents the surgical examination and preparation of a previously harvested small intestine for transplantation, including preparation of the superior mesenteric artery and vein for anastomosis. This code is relevant nationally for transplant centers, hospital surgical departments, and payers managing coverage for complex organ transplant procedures.

Major payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The code is most applicable in inpatient surgical settings where intestinal grafts are prepared and connected to recipient vasculature.

Readers will find an overview of the clinical service the code captures, the typical site of service, and the payer landscape that commonly reimburses for intestinal transplant–related surgical services. The publication outlines benchmarking and payment context where available, summarizes relevant billing considerations, and provides clinical context about what the procedure involves. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicareCPT 44715intestinal transplantgraft preparationsurgical proceduresvascular anastomosisinpatient surgerytransplant surgery

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 44715 describes the surgical examination and preparation of previously harvested small intestine for transplantation. The procedure includes preparing the superior mesenteric artery and vein for anastomosis and overall assessment of the intestinal graft prior to vascular connection.

Service type: Surgical graft preparation for intestinal transplant
Typical site of service: Inpatient operating room or surgical suite for transplant procedures

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 52-year-old male with a history of mesenteric ischemia undergoes an intestinal transplantation procedure. In the operating room under general anesthesia, the transplant surgeon inspects and prepares the previously harvested donor small intestine for implantation into the recipient. This includes careful dissection and preparation of the donor superior mesenteric artery and vein, trimming of mesenteric tissue, ensuring adequate vessel length and quality, and readying the bowel for vascular anastomosis to the recipient's vasculature. Intraoperative steps include confirmation of bowel viability, control of mesenteric bleeding, and coordination with the transplant team to proceed to arterial and venous anastomoses. Typical site of service is an inpatient operating room in a tertiary care center or transplant hospital. The service type is a surgical transplant preparatory procedure performed by a transplant surgeon as part of intestinal transplantation surgery.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`00`	No modifier recorded	Data not typically appended; avoid using for claims.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work required is substantially greater than typical (e.g., significant adhesiolysis during preparation).

CPT 44705: Donor Stool Screening and Preparation for Instillation

CPT-44721-SMALL-INTESTINE-PREPARATION-ARTERY-ANASTOMOSIS

CPT 44721: Preparation of Harvested Small Intestine for Arterial Anastomosis

CPT-44701-COLON-IRRIGATION-DURING-COLECTOMY-OR-REPAIR

CPT 44701: Colon Irrigation During Colectomy or Large Intestine Repair

CPT-44720-SMALL-INTESTINE-PREPARATION-FOR-ANASTOMOSIS

CPT 44720: Small Intestine Preparation for Anastomosis

CPT-44700-SMALL-BOWEL-PELVIC-BARRIER-PLACEMENT

CPT 44700: Small Bowel Barrier Placement to Protect Pelvis

CPT-44799-UNLISTED-INTESTINAL-PROCEDURE

CPT 44799: Unlisted Intestinal Procedure

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`334P00000X`	General Surgery	Transplant surgeons often have a general surgery taxonomy with transplant specialization.
`2080P0200X`	Surgery - Transplant	Specialty taxonomy for surgeons performing intestinal transplantation.
`207L00000X`	Vascular Surgery	Vascular surgeons may assist or perform mesenteric vessel preparation.
`207L00000X`	Cardiothoracic-Vascular Surgery	(Alternate vascular specialty) involved when complex vascular reconstruction is required.
`363A00000X`	Organ Transplantation	Transplant surgeon or team members focused on organ procurement and implantation.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K55.1`	Chronic vascular insufficiency of intestine	Common indication for intestinal transplantation or resection and vascular reconstruction prior to implant.
`K55.9`	Vascular disorder of intestine, unspecified	Relevant when mesenteric vessels are compromised necessitating graft preparation and anastomosis.
`K91.82`	Intestinal failure (malabsorption)	Patients with intestinal failure may be candidates for intestinal transplantation requiring this preparatory procedure.
`K90.0`	Celiac disease	Severe complications or short bowel syndrome secondary to malabsorption can lead to transplantation evaluation.
`T81.4XXA`	Infection following a procedure, initial encounter	Postoperative complications that may necessitate reoperation and graft revision where vessel preparation is required.
`S36.891A`	Injury of other intra-abdominal organs, initial encounter	Traumatic injuries leading to intestinal loss or damage that result in transplant or complex reconstruction.
`K91.89`	Other postprocedural complications and disorders of the digestive system	Indicates complications that may prompt reoperation and graft preparation for revision procedures.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`44227`	Laparoscopy, surgical, enterolysis, for intestinal obstruction; single or multiple	Performed pre- or intraoperatively if extensive adhesiolysis is required prior to preparing the graft or recipient bowel.
`44160`	Bowel anastomosis, enterostomy closure, small intestine; resection with anastomosis, single resection and anastomosis	Represents small bowel resection and anastomosis in recipient when native bowel requires resection concurrent with transplant.
`47531`	Pancreas transplant, including recipient duodenal anastomosis to intestine; with arterial and venous anastomoses	Shares vascular anastomosis steps and team composition in multiorgan abdominal transplants.
`35820`	Revascularization, other than coronary, with vein graft; mesenteric or renal artery bypass	Performed when additional mesenteric vascular reconstruction is necessary to secure blood flow to the graft.
`01960`	Anesthesia for patient of intestinal transplant or small intestine surgery	Anesthesia services typically reported separately for complex transplant procedures.

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