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CPT 47000: Percutaneous Liver Biopsy

CPT code 47000 denotes a percutaneous liver biopsy: removal of a small liver tissue sample through a small skin incision for diagnostic or monitoring purposes. This procedure is central to hepatology practice and matters nationally because it informs diagnosis, staging, and treatment decisions for a wide range of liver conditions, including jaundice, hepatitis, and fibrosis. Payers commonly involved in national coverage and reimbursement conversations include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.

Readers will find a concise overview of the clinical intent and typical sites of service for this procedure, plus what to expect in payer coverage discussions. The publication presents benchmarks and policy-relevant context about billing, utilization, and coding considerations for CPT code 47000, and summarizes common procedural indications and clinical rationale. Where available, it highlights payer approaches to authorization, bundling, and facility versus professional service distinctions. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 47000 describes a percutaneous liver biopsy in which the provider removes a small sample of liver tissue through a small incision in the skin. The procedure is performed to diagnose liver disease, assess severity of known liver disease, or monitor response to treatment, and may be used to evaluate conditions such as jaundice.

Service type: Diagnostic tissue sampling / liver biopsy procedure

Typical site of service: Outpatient procedure suite, ambulatory surgical center, or hospital setting (procedure performed through a small skin incision over the liver)

Data not available in the input.

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CPT 47000: Percutaneous Liver Biopsy

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Diagnostic tissue sampling / liver biopsy procedure

Typical site of service: Outpatient procedure suite, ambulatory surgical center, or hospital setting (procedure performed through a small skin incision over the liver)

Data not available in the input.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 52-year-old patient with persistent jaundice, elevated liver enzymes, and imaging showing heterogeneous hepatic parenchyma presents to the hepatology clinic. After noninvasive testing (laboratory studies, abdominal ultrasound, and transient elastography) is inconclusive for etiology and staging, the hepatologist schedules a percutaneous liver biopsy to obtain tissue for histopathology, iron and copper quantification, and staging of fibrosis. The procedure is performed in an outpatient procedural suite or hospital interventional radiology unit. The patient is screened for coagulopathy, holds anticoagulants per institutional policy, and consents for moderate sedation and local anesthesia. Under ultrasound guidance, the clinician creates a small skin incision and advances a biopsy needle into the liver to obtain core tissue samples. Specimens are placed in formalin and sent to pathology; post-procedure observation is performed to monitor for bleeding or pain. Documentation includes indication, imaging guidance, quantity and size of cores, specimen disposition, sedation/analgesia used, informed consent, and post-procedure instructions.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the biopsy required substantially greater work, time, or complexity than typical (document specifics).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is medically necessary for the biopsy (document reason).
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the professional interpretation component of imaging or monitoring adjuncts related to the procedure.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the biopsy was started but discontinued or only partially performed (document reason).
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the biopsy was terminated due to patient instability or unexpected findings (document reason).
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use when another distinct procedure is performed the same day and documentation supports separate services.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons of different specialties perform distinct portions of the biopsy.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Use when the same physician repeats the biopsy during the postoperative period.
`77`	Repeat procedure by another physician	Use when a different physician repeats the biopsy during the postoperative period.
`RT`	Right side	Use to identify when the biopsy was performed on the right lobe of the liver (paired with `LT` as needed).
`LT`	Left side	Use to identify when the biopsy was performed on the left lobe of the liver.
`TC`	Technical component	Use when billing only the technical component (facility resources, supplies) of adjunct imaging or services.
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the professional interpretation component of imaging or monitoring adjuncts related to the procedure.
`57`	Decision for surgery	Use when the biopsy on the day before or the day of a major surgery directly leads to the surgery (include documentation).

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2080S00000X	Gastroenterology	Gastroenterologists commonly perform percutaneous liver biopsy in clinic or IR settings.
207L00000X	Interventional Radiology	Interventional radiologists frequently perform image-guided percutaneous liver biopsy.
207K00000X	General Surgery	Surgeons may perform open or laparoscopic liver biopsy when indicated.
2086S0123X	Hepatology	Hepatologists coordinate indications and follow-up, and may perform biopsies in some practices.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K76.9`	Liver disease, unspecified	Non-specific indication for biopsy when etiology is unclear.
`K76.0`	Fatty change of liver, not elsewhere classified	Biopsy may confirm steatosis and assess inflammation/fibrosis.
`K74.60`	Unspecified cirrhosis of liver	Biopsy may stage fibrosis and assess activity.
`R17`	Unspecified jaundice	Biopsy can help determine hepatocellular causes of jaundice.
`B18.2`	Chronic viral hepatitis C	Biopsy may assess chronicity, inflammation, and fibrosis for treatment planning.
`B18.1`	Chronic viral hepatitis B without delta-agent	Biopsy can assess necroinflammatory activity and fibrosis.
`E83.11`	Hemochromatosis	Biopsy can quantify iron deposition when noninvasive tests are inconclusive.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`76942`	Ultrasound guidance for needle placement (eg, biopsy, aspiration)	Often used immediately before or during the liver biopsy to localize the target and guide needle placement.
`76937`	Ultrasound guidance for vascular access requiring ultrasound evaluation of vascular access site (when applicable)	Used when vascular ultrasound guidance is required for access or to evaluate complications (less common).
`96372`	Therapeutic, prophylactic, or diagnostic injection (specify drug)	Used if local anesthetic or other injected agents are separately billable; documentation must support.
`99213`	Established patient office visit, moderate complexity	Typical pre-procedure evaluation and post-procedure follow-up visits in the outpatient setting.
`99152`	Moderate sedation service provided by the same physician performing the procedure (initial 15 minutes)	Use when the performing clinician provides moderate sedation in addition to the biopsy procedure (document time).

Related Codes

CPT-47001-LIVER-BIOPSY-ADD-ON-PROCEDURE

CPT 47001: Liver Biopsy, Add-on Procedure

CPT-47010-HEPATOTOMY-LIVER-ABSCESS-CYST-DRAINAGE

CPT 47010: Hepatotomy for Liver Abscess or Cyst Drainage

CPT-47015-LAPAROTOMY-ASPIRATION-INJECTION-LIVER-CYST-ABSCESS

CPT 47015: Laparotomy for Aspiration or Injection of Liver Cysts/Abscesses

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 biopsy required substantially greater work, time, or complexity than typical (document specifics).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is medically necessary for the biopsy (document reason).
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the professional interpretation component of imaging or monitoring adjuncts related to the procedure.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the biopsy was started but discontinued or only partially performed (document reason).
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the biopsy was terminated due to patient instability or unexpected findings (document reason).
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use when another distinct procedure is performed the same day and documentation supports separate services.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons of different specialties perform distinct portions of the biopsy.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Use when the same physician repeats the biopsy during the postoperative period.
`77`	Repeat procedure by another physician	Use when a different physician repeats the biopsy during the postoperative period.
`RT`	Right side	Use to identify when the biopsy was performed on the right lobe of the liver (paired with `LT` as needed).
`LT`	Left side	Use to identify when the biopsy was performed on the left lobe of the liver.
`TC`	Technical component	Use when billing only the technical component (facility resources, supplies) of adjunct imaging or services.
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the professional interpretation component of imaging or monitoring adjuncts related to the procedure.
`57`	Decision for surgery	Use when the biopsy on the day before or the day of a major surgery directly leads to the surgery (include documentation).

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2080S00000X	Gastroenterology	Gastroenterologists commonly perform percutaneous liver biopsy in clinic or IR settings.
207L00000X	Interventional Radiology	Interventional radiologists frequently perform image-guided percutaneous liver biopsy.
207K00000X	General Surgery	Surgeons may perform open or laparoscopic liver biopsy when indicated.
2086S0123X	Hepatology	Hepatologists coordinate indications and follow-up, and may perform biopsies in some practices.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K76.9`	Liver disease, unspecified	Non-specific indication for biopsy when etiology is unclear.
`K76.0`	Fatty change of liver, not elsewhere classified	Biopsy may confirm steatosis and assess inflammation/fibrosis.
`K74.60`	Unspecified cirrhosis of liver	Biopsy may stage fibrosis and assess activity.
`R17`	Unspecified jaundice	Biopsy can help determine hepatocellular causes of jaundice.
`B18.2`	Chronic viral hepatitis C	Biopsy may assess chronicity, inflammation, and fibrosis for treatment planning.
`B18.1`	Chronic viral hepatitis B without delta-agent	Biopsy can assess necroinflammatory activity and fibrosis.
`E83.11`	Hemochromatosis	Biopsy can quantify iron deposition when noninvasive tests are inconclusive.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`76942`	Ultrasound guidance for needle placement (eg, biopsy, aspiration)	Often used immediately before or during the liver biopsy to localize the target and guide needle placement.
`76937`	Ultrasound guidance for vascular access requiring ultrasound evaluation of vascular access site (when applicable)	Used when vascular ultrasound guidance is required for access or to evaluate complications (less common).
`96372`	Therapeutic, prophylactic, or diagnostic injection (specify drug)	Used if local anesthetic or other injected agents are separately billable; documentation must support.
`99213`	Established patient office visit, moderate complexity	Typical pre-procedure evaluation and post-procedure follow-up visits in the outpatient setting.
`99152`	Moderate sedation service provided by the same physician performing the procedure (initial 15 minutes)	Use when the performing clinician provides moderate sedation in addition to the biopsy procedure (document time).

Related Codes

CPT-47001-LIVER-BIOPSY-ADD-ON-PROCEDURE

CPT 47001: Liver Biopsy, Add-on Procedure

CPT-47010-HEPATOTOMY-LIVER-ABSCESS-CYST-DRAINAGE

CPT 47010: Hepatotomy for Liver Abscess or Cyst Drainage

CPT-47015-LAPAROTOMY-ASPIRATION-INJECTION-LIVER-CYST-ABSCESS

CPT 47015: Laparotomy for Aspiration or Injection of Liver Cysts/Abscesses

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 47000: Percutaneous Liver Biopsy

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 47000: Percutaneous Liver Biopsy

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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