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CPT 44800: Excision of Meckel's Diverticulum or Omphalomesenteric Duct

CPT code 44800 denotes the surgical excision of a Meckel’s diverticulum or an omphalomesenteric duct, procedures intended to remove a saclike ileal outpouching or embryologic remnant that can cause bleeding or ulceration. Nationally, this code represents a focused abdominal surgical intervention performed in operating room settings and is relevant to surgical, gastrointestinal, and pediatric care pathways. The procedure carries implications for surgical resource use, hospital metrics, and payer coverage policies regarding operative management of small-bowel anomalies.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for when the procedure is used, typical sites of service, and the service type classification. The publication also outlines reimbursement and utilization benchmarks, prevailing payer policy considerations, and coding nuances that affect claim adjudication. Additionally, the report highlights clinical indications tied to bleeding and ulceration, operational settings for performance of the procedure, and areas where policy updates or payer guidance can affect coverage and billing practices. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 44800 describes the surgical excision of a Meckel’s diverticulum or an omphalomesenteric (yolk stalk) duct. The procedure removes an outpouching or remnant from the wall of the ileum to treat or prevent complications such as bleeding or ulceration of the intestinal lining.

Service type: Surgical excision (operative abdominal procedure)
Typical site of service: Inpatient or outpatient surgical setting, commonly performed in an operating room under general anesthesia

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CPT 44800: Excision of Meckel's Diverticulum or Omphalomesenteric Duct

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Surgical excision (operative abdominal procedure)
Typical site of service: Inpatient or outpatient surgical setting, commonly performed in an operating room under general anesthesia

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A pediatric patient, typically aged 2–12 years, presents to the emergency department with intermittent, painless lower gastrointestinal bleeding and iron-deficiency anemia. History and evaluation include abdominal exam, hemoglobin/hematocrit, and imaging such as technetium-99m pertechnetate scan (Meckel scan) or CT enterography showing an ileal outpouching consistent with a Meckel’s diverticulum. After confirmation of diagnosis and preoperative evaluation, the patient is scheduled for surgical excision of the Meckel’s diverticulum (CPT 44800). The clinical workflow includes preoperative consent, anesthesia evaluation (general anesthesia common), intraoperative exploratory laparotomy or laparoscopy, excision of the diverticulum (wedge resection or segmental small bowel resection with primary anastomosis if base involved), hemostasis, and standard postoperative recovery and monitoring for bleeding, infection, or ileus. Indications include recurrent bleeding, ulceration, obstruction, or suspected ectopic gastric mucosa causing erosion. Typical site of service is an inpatient hospital operating room or ambulatory surgery center when clinically appropriate. Common providers performing this procedure include pediatric surgeons, general surgeons, and colorectal surgeons when indicated.

Coding Specifications

Modifier table

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`00`	No modifier	Standard reporting when no modifier applies
`11`	Office or Other Outpatient Service (principal)	Use when this is the primary service provided in an outpatient setting — rarely used for operative hospital reporting but applicable to outpatient surgical centers
`22`	Increased Procedural Services	Use when work required is substantially greater than typically required (e.g., extensive adhesiolysis or unexpected complex bowel resection)
`52`	Reduced Services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or less extensive than described by `CPT 44800` (e.g., aborted after limited exploration)
`53`	Discontinued Procedure	Use when procedure is started but discontinued for patient safety before completion
`59`	Distinct Procedural Service	Use to indicate a distinct procedure or service not normally billed together with another service when procedures performed are separate and distinct
`62`	Two Surgeons	Use when two surgeons of different specialties perform distinct portions of the procedure (complex reconstruction or shared operative roles)
`66`	Surgical Team (team approach)	Use when a surgical team approach is documented for a single complex case
`78`	Return to the Operating Room for a Related Procedure During the Postoperative Period	Use when a related return to OR occurs for complications of the initial `CPT 44800` within the global period
`79`	Unrelated Procedure or Service by the Same Physician During the Postoperative Period	Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period (not in modifier list provided but often relevant)

Provider taxonomies

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207P00000X`	General Surgery	Most common specialty performing Meckel’s diverticulectomy
`2080P0206X`	Pediatric Surgery	Frequent provider for pediatric patients with Meckel’s diverticulum
`207Q00000X`	Colon & Rectal Surgery	Involved when pathology extends into distal small bowel or complex bowel reconstruction needed
`2086S0127X`	Pediatric Gastroenterology	Often involved in preoperative diagnosis and evaluation but not primary operator
`208D00000X`	General Practice/Family Medicine	May be involved in initial presentation and referral coordination

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K57.20`	Diverticulitis of large intestine without perforation or abscess	Data not directly relevant to Meckel’s but illustrates diverticular disease codes; use of diverticulitis codes is not typical for Meckel’s
`K31.2`	Meckel's diverticulum	Direct diagnostic code describing the lesion excised with `CPT 44800`
`K92.2`	Gastrointestinal hemorrhage, unspecified	Presents with GI bleeding; used when source is GI hemorrhage prior to localization
`D50.9`	Iron deficiency anemia, unspecified	Common presentation due to chronic bleeding from ectopic gastric mucosa in Meckel’s diverticulum
`K56.69`	Other intestinal obstruction	Used when Meckel’s diverticulum causes small bowel obstruction (volvulus or intussusception)

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`44120`	Enterectomy, resection of small intestine with primary anastomosis	Performed when segmental small bowel resection is required due to broad-based Meckel’s diverticulum or ischemic bowel
`44320`	Enterolysis (separation of adhesions), small intestine	May be performed intraoperatively for adhesive disease discovered during exploration
`47562`	Laparoscopy, surgical; cholecystectomy (for example)	Example of concurrent laparoscopic procedures in same operative session; not specific but illustrates laparoscopic access codes may be used when combined minimally invasive approaches are performed
`49000`	Exploratory laparotomy, exploratory celiotomy with or without biopsy(s)	Used when a formal exploratory laparotomy is performed in conjunction with excision of Meckel’s diverticulum
`00840`	Anesthesia for procedures on the lower abdomen	Anesthesia code commonly billed by anesthesia providers when operating in the lower abdominal/ileal region

CPT 44820: Excision of Peritoneal or Mesenteric Lesion

Frequently Asked Questions

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 table

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`00`	No modifier	Standard reporting when no modifier applies
`11`	Office or Other Outpatient Service (principal)	Use when this is the primary service provided in an outpatient setting — rarely used for operative hospital reporting but applicable to outpatient surgical centers
`22`	Increased Procedural Services	Use when work required is substantially greater than typically required (e.g., extensive adhesiolysis or unexpected complex bowel resection)
`52`	Reduced Services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or less extensive than described by `CPT 44800` (e.g., aborted after limited exploration)
`53`	Discontinued Procedure	Use when procedure is started but discontinued for patient safety before completion
`59`	Distinct Procedural Service	Use to indicate a distinct procedure or service not normally billed together with another service when procedures performed are separate and distinct
`62`	Two Surgeons	Use when two surgeons of different specialties perform distinct portions of the procedure (complex reconstruction or shared operative roles)
`66`	Surgical Team (team approach)	Use when a surgical team approach is documented for a single complex case
`78`	Return to the Operating Room for a Related Procedure During the Postoperative Period	Use when a related return to OR occurs for complications of the initial `CPT 44800` within the global period
`79`	Unrelated Procedure or Service by the Same Physician During the Postoperative Period	Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period (not in modifier list provided but often relevant)

Provider taxonomies

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207P00000X`	General Surgery	Most common specialty performing Meckel’s diverticulectomy
`2080P0206X`	Pediatric Surgery	Frequent provider for pediatric patients with Meckel’s diverticulum
`207Q00000X`	Colon & Rectal Surgery	Involved when pathology extends into distal small bowel or complex bowel reconstruction needed
`2086S0127X`	Pediatric Gastroenterology	Often involved in preoperative diagnosis and evaluation but not primary operator
`208D00000X`	General Practice/Family Medicine	May be involved in initial presentation and referral coordination

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K57.20`	Diverticulitis of large intestine without perforation or abscess	Data not directly relevant to Meckel’s but illustrates diverticular disease codes; use of diverticulitis codes is not typical for Meckel’s
`K31.2`	Meckel's diverticulum	Direct diagnostic code describing the lesion excised with `CPT 44800`
`K92.2`	Gastrointestinal hemorrhage, unspecified	Presents with GI bleeding; used when source is GI hemorrhage prior to localization
`D50.9`	Iron deficiency anemia, unspecified	Common presentation due to chronic bleeding from ectopic gastric mucosa in Meckel’s diverticulum
`K56.69`	Other intestinal obstruction	Used when Meckel’s diverticulum causes small bowel obstruction (volvulus or intussusception)

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`44120`	Enterectomy, resection of small intestine with primary anastomosis	Performed when segmental small bowel resection is required due to broad-based Meckel’s diverticulum or ischemic bowel
`44320`	Enterolysis (separation of adhesions), small intestine	May be performed intraoperatively for adhesive disease discovered during exploration
`47562`	Laparoscopy, surgical; cholecystectomy (for example)	Example of concurrent laparoscopic procedures in same operative session; not specific but illustrates laparoscopic access codes may be used when combined minimally invasive approaches are performed
`49000`	Exploratory laparotomy, exploratory celiotomy with or without biopsy(s)	Used when a formal exploratory laparotomy is performed in conjunction with excision of Meckel’s diverticulum
`00840`	Anesthesia for procedures on the lower abdomen	Anesthesia code commonly billed by anesthesia providers when operating in the lower abdominal/ileal region

CPT 44820: Excision of Peritoneal or Mesenteric Lesion

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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CPT 44800: Excision of Meckel's Diverticulum or Omphalomesenteric Duct

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 44800: Excision of Meckel's Diverticulum or Omphalomesenteric Duct

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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

CPT 44800: Excision of Meckel's Diverticulum or Omphalomesenteric Duct

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Billing Code Overview

CPT 44800: Excision of Meckel's Diverticulum or Omphalomesenteric Duct

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Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT 44800 represent and when is it indicated?

Which related CPT and anesthesia codes might be billed alongside CPT 44800?

Which modifiers are commonly used with CPT 44800 and in what situations?

Which specialties and provider taxonomies commonly perform or participate in cases billed with CPT 44800?

What clinical findings and settings support use of CPT 44800?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT 44800 represent and when is it indicated?

Which related CPT and anesthesia codes might be billed alongside CPT 44800?

Which modifiers are commonly used with CPT 44800 and in what situations?

Which specialties and provider taxonomies commonly perform or participate in cases billed with CPT 44800?

What clinical findings and settings support use of CPT 44800?

References