Loading...

    Explore
    • Policy Monitoring
    • Live Policy Feed
    • Billing Codes
    • NPI Medicare & Medicaid
    • Healthcare Providers
    • Health Insurance Payers
    • States
    • Service Lines
    • Taxonomy Codes
    Lookup tools
    • Billing Code Lookup
    • CPT Modifier Lookup
    • Provider Taxonomy Code Lookup
    • Healthcare Provider & Facility Lookup
    • Health Insurance Payer Lookup
    • Payer Contact Directory

    Policy & Benchmark Tools

    • Prior Authorization Lookup
    • Coverage Criteria Lookup
    • Timely Filing Lookup
    • Billing Code Reimbursement Rates
    • Payer Comparison Dashboard
    • Facility Comparison Dashboard
    • All tools

    Company

    • About OpenPayer
    • Data Sources
    • Trek Health
    OpenPayerby Trek Health
    LinkedInYouTube

    © 2026 Trek Health. All rights reserved.

    OpenPayer is built and maintained by Trek Health.

    v1.0.28
    OpenPayerBilling CodesEndoscopy Procedures on the RectumCPT cpt-45342-sigmoidoscopy-ultrasound-fna-biopsy-sigmoid-rectum
    Ask Trek AI about this page

    CPT 45342: Flexible Sigmoidoscopy with Ultrasound-Guided FNA/Biopsy

    Medicare pays $155 on average nationally for this procedure.

    CPT code 45342 describes a flexible sigmoidoscopy procedure in which the provider uses a flexible sigmoidoscope to inspect the distal colon, rectum, and anus and performs ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration and/or biopsy of abnormal tissue; service type: endoscopic diagnostic and interventional procedure; typical site of service: outpatient endoscopy suite or ambulatory surgical center.

    For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) Coverage Policy, Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation for the Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Serum Testing for Hepatic Fibrosis in the Evaluation and Monitoring of Chronic Liver Disease.

    Customize your policy alerts

    Sign up for cpt 45342 policy alerts

    Get alerted when payer policies referencing 45342 are released or updated.

    Monitor payer policy activity

    Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

    Table of contents

    Progress1 / 6

    Explore openpayer tools

    • Billing CodesCPT, HCPCS, DRG & more
    • Reimbursement RatesCommercial vs. Medicare rate reports
    • ProvidersHospitals & facilities
    • PayersPlans & market footprint
    • Taxonomy CodesNUCC specialty codes
    • ModifiersCPT modifiers & usage
    • Prior AuthorizationPA policies by payer & drug
    • Timely FilingFiling deadlines by payer
    • Coverage CriteriaMedical necessity by payer
    • Payer ContactsClaims, PA & appeals contacts
    View all tools

    Clinical & Coding Specifications

    Clinical Context

    A 58-year-old male presents to colorectal surgery with a three-week history of rectal bleeding, intermittent tenesmus, and a palpable posterior rectal mass on digital rectal exam. Prior office anoscopy suggested an abnormal lesion in the rectosigmoid region. The patient is scheduled for a flexible sigmoidoscopy with endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration/biopsy to obtain tissue for histopathology and to stage a suspected rectal neoplasm.

    The clinical workflow includes pre-procedure consent and history, sedation per facility policy (conscious sedation or monitored anesthesia care), bowel preparation as indicated, performance of flexible sigmoidoscopy with endoscopic ultrasound visualization of the rectum and sigmoid, and placement of a fine needle through the sigmoidoscope channel to aspirate or biopsy the suspicious lesion under ultrasound guidance. Specimens are sent to pathology with appropriate labeling and documentation of number of passes and adequacy. Recovery and post-procedure instructions are provided, including pathology follow-up and oncology referral if malignancy is confirmed.

    Related CPT Codes

    CPT CodeDescriptionRelationship to This Procedure
    45342Colonoscopy, flexible; with transendoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration/biopsyPrimary procedure: flexible sigmoidoscopy with EUS-guided FNA/biopsy to obtain tissue from rectal/sigmoid lesion.
    43239Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, flexible, transoral; with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with FNA/biopsy, single or multiple lesionsAnalogous EUS with FNA code used for upper GI lesions; useful for cross-referencing billing of EUS-guided sampling techniques.
    76942Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement (eg, biopsy, aspiration, injection, localization device), imaging supervision and interpretationMay be billed when separate ultrasonic guidance is provided for needle placement if reporting rules permit.
    88305Surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination, intermediate complexityCommon pathology CPT for evaluation of tissue obtained by biopsy or FNA; used for billing the microscopic examination of specimens.
    36415Collection of venous blood by venipunctureRoutine pre-procedure laboratory phlebotomy commonly performed prior to sedation or anesthesia.

    Related Modifiers

    10 rows

    ModifierDescriptionWhen to Use
    26Modifier 26 (Professional Component) identifies and bills only the professional portion of a split service — the physician’s interpretation, report, and medical judgment — when the technical…- Use CPT Modifier -26 when you are billing only the professional component (PC) of a split‑bill eligible service—i.e., you performed the physician interpretation, medical judgment and prepared a…
    52Modifier ‑52 (Reduced Services) indicates that a service or procedure was partially reduced or omitted at the provider’s discretion, allowing reporting of the basic procedure number with a qualifier…- Use modifier -52 when a physician or qualified health professional electively reduces or omits part of a procedure or service (for example, performing fewer required views or omitting a portion of…
    53Modifier 53 (Discontinued Procedure) signals that a surgical or diagnostic service was begun by the physician but terminated because of extenuating circumstances that threatened the patient’s…- Use modifier -53 when a physician/qualified healthcare professional has started a surgical or diagnostic procedure (e.g., anesthesia administered, incision or scope insertion) and then discontinues…
    59Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
    62Modifier 62 indicates that two surgeons function as co‑surgeons, each performing distinct parts of the same primary surgical procedure. It is appended to the primary procedure code (and any…- Use modifier -62 when two surgeons act as co‑surgeons (both primary surgeons) on a single definitive primary procedure, each performing distinct parts of the same surgical procedure (append -62 to…
    76Modifier -76, Repeat Procedure or Service by Same Physician or Other Qualified Health Care Professional, is appended when the same provider performs an identical, medically necessary procedure or…- Use modifier -76 when the same physician or other qualified health care professional performs an identical procedure or service a second (or subsequent) time on the same date of service and the…
    78CPT modifier -78 indicates an unplanned, related return to the operating or procedure room by the same provider during the global postoperative period. It is appended when treatment for a…- Use modifier -78 when an unplanned, related complication during the original procedure’s global postoperative period requires the patient to return to a formal operating or procedure room and the…
    80CPT® Modifier 80 (Assistant Surgeon) is appended to a surgical CPT code when a physician (MD or DO) provides full, continuous assistance throughout the operative procedure. It is intended only for…- Use CPT Modifier -80 when a physician (MD or DO) serves as an assistant surgeon and provides full, continuous assistance throughout the entire operative procedure; append -80 to the surgical CPT…
    74Modifier ‑74 indicates an outpatient hospital or ASC procedure that was discontinued after anesthesia was administered and after the procedure had begun. Use this modifier when anesthesia (local,…- Use modifier -74 when a procedure in an outpatient hospital or ASC setting is terminated after anesthesia has been administered and after the procedure has commenced (for example, after incision,…
    22Modifier –22 (Increased Procedural Services) is used when a reported procedure is substantially more extensive than normally required. The CPT Manual and CMS state it may be appended only when the…- When to use: Append modifier -22 to a procedural CPT code when the service performed is substantially more extensive than the usual service described by that code — i.e., the procedure required…

    Related Provider Taxonomies

    8 rows

    Taxonomy CodeSpecialtyNotes
    207R00000XInternal Medicine PhysicianA physician who provides long-term, comprehensive care in the office and the hospital, managing both common and complex illness of adolescents, adults…
    207L00000XAnesthesiology PhysicianAn anesthesiologist is trained to provide pain relief and maintenance, or restoration, of a stable condition during and immediately following an opera…
    208000000XPediatrics PhysicianA pediatrician is concerned with the physical, emotional and social health of children from birth to young adulthood. Care encompasses a broad spectru…
    207P00000XEmergency Medicine PhysicianAn emergency physician focuses on the immediate decision making and action necessary to prevent death or any further disability both in the pre-hospit…
    364SP0808XPsychiatric/Mental Health Clinical Nurse SpecialistPhysician Assistants & Advanced Practice Nursing Providers · Clinical Nurse Specialist
    363L00000XNurse Practitioner(1) A registered nurse provider with a graduate degree in nursing prepared for advanced practice involving independent and interdependent decision mak…
    246YR1600XRegistered Record AdministratorNone
    163WR0400XRehabilitation Registered NurseNursing Service Providers · Registered Nurse

    Related Payer Policy Updates

    Specialty: Gastroenterology1 / 3

    10 rows

    PolicyPayerEffective Date
    Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) Coverage Policyevicore2026-11-05
    Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation for the Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)univerahealthcare2026-10-15
    Serum Testing for Hepatic Fibrosis in the Evaluation and Monitoring of Chronic Liver DiseaseOscar Health2026-10-01
    Fecal Analysis in the Diagnosis of Intestinal Dysbiosis and Fecal Microbiota Transplant TestingOscar Health2026-10-01
    Pancreatic Enzyme Testing for Acute PancreatitisOscar Health2026-10-01
    Helicobacter pylori TestingOscar Health2026-10-01
    Celiac Disease TestingOscar Health2026-10-01
    Laboratory Testing for the Diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel DiseaseOscar Health2026-10-01
    Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Field Stimulation (PENFS)Cigna2026-09-15
    Colorectal Cancer ScreeningBlue Cross Blue Shield - New Mexico2026-09-04

    Related Codes

    CPT-45300-PROCTOSIGMOIDOSCOPY-RIGID-DIAGNOSTIC

    CPT 45300: Diagnostic Proctosigmoidoscopy with Rigid Proctoscope

    CPT-45303-PROCTOSIGMOIDOSCOPY-WITH-STRICTURE-DILATION

    CPT 45303: Proctosigmoidoscopy with Stricture Dilation

    CPT-45305-PROCTOSIGMOIDOSCOPY-WITH-BIOPSY

    CPT 45305: Proctosigmoidoscopy with Biopsy

    CPT-45307-PROCTOSIGMOIDOSCOPY-LOWER-GI-ENDOSCOPY

    CPT 45307: Proctosigmoidoscopy of Rectum and Sigmoid Colon

    CPT-45308-PROCTOSIGMOIDOSCOPIC-LESION-REMOVAL

    CPT 45308: Proctosigmoidoscopy with Removal of Single Lesion

    CPT-45309-PROCTOSIGMOIDOSCOPY-SNARE-EXCISION-LESION

    CPT 45309: Proctosigmoidoscopy with Snare Polypectomy

    CPT-45315-PROCTOSIGMOIDOSCOPIC-POLYPECTOMY-MULTIPLE-LESIONS

    CPT 45315: Proctosigmoidoscopy with Multiple Lesion Removal

    CPT-45317-PROCTOSIGMOIDOSCOPY-WITH-HEMOSTASIS

    CPT 45317: Therapeutic Proctosigmoidoscopy for Hemorrhage Control

    CPT-45320-PROCTOSIGMOIDOSCOPIC-LESION-ABLATION

    CPT 45320: Proctosigmoidoscopic Ablation of Lesion

    CPT-45321-PROCTOSIGMOIDOSCOPIC-DECOMPRESSION-SIGMOID-VOLVULUS

    CPT 45321: Proctosigmoidoscopic Decompression of Volvulus

    Showing 1–10 of 39

    Frequently Asked Questions

    References

    1. 1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
    2. 2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
    3. 3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.
    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.