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CPT 47145: Backbench Preparation of Cadaver Donor Liver

CPT code 47145 represents the backbench standard preparation of a cadaver donor liver prior to transplantation, a specialized surgical service that readies vascular and biliary structures and can produce two allografts by dividing left and right lobes. This code matters nationally because it underpins payments for critical organ-preparation work that enables liver transplantation and affects hospital transplant program operations and resource allocation. Key payers in typical analyses include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.

Readers will find a concise explanation of the service represented by 47145, its clinical context within liver transplant workflows, and the typical site of service. The publication provides benchmarks and comparisons of coverage and payment approaches across major payers, highlights common billing and coding considerations tied to transplant programs, and summarizes relevant policy updates affecting transplantation services. The content also outlines expected service lines and where this procedure appears on the hospital claim. Data not available in the input will be noted where applicable.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 47145 describes a backbench standard preparation of a cadaver donor liver for transplantation. The procedure includes removal of the gallbladder when needed, excision of surrounding soft tissues, and preparation of vascular and biliary structures — specifically the vena cava, portal vein, hepatic artery, and common bile duct — to ready the organ for transplant. The provider separates segments II, III, and IV of the left lobe from segments I and V to VIII of the right lobe to prepare two allografts.

Service type: Organ procurement and backbench liver preparation

Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or transplant center

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CPT 47145: Backbench Preparation of Cadaver Donor Liver

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Organ procurement and backbench liver preparation

Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or transplant center

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A deceased donor liver is received in the transplant center operating room sterile backbench area. The organ procurement surgeon or transplant surgeon performs a backbench standard preparation of the cadaveric liver prior to implantation into one or more recipients. The procedure typically occurs after donor organ transport and crossmatch confirmation and before donor organ implantation in the recipient. The surgical team inspects the graft, removes the gallbladder if present, and dissects surrounding soft tissue to mobilize and prepare vascular and biliary structures (vena cava, portal vein, hepatic artery, common bile duct). For split-liver preparations the surgeon separates segments II, III, and IV from segments I and V–VIII to create two allografts. Typical workflow steps include receipt and inspection of the graft, clearing of perihepatic fat and connective tissue, cholangiogram or bile duct assessment as needed, preparation of vascular cuffs and bile duct for anastomosis, and packaging of the graft for implantation. Typical site of service is an operating room within a transplant center, often in a tertiary care hospital. A realistic patient scenario: a multiorgan procurement team recovers a cadaveric liver from a brain-dead donor; the transplant center team performs 47145 backbench preparation to split the liver into two grafts for transplantation into two recipients, with preparation of hepatic veins, portal vein, hepatic artery, and bile duct for subsequent anastomoses.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`00`	No modifier — standard reporting	Use when no additional modifier applies to the service for billing.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when documented work (complexity, time) substantially exceeds typical preparation (rare for standardized backbench but applicable if unusually complex dissection documented).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Not typically applicable to a single-organ liver preparation; do not use routinely.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when multiple distinct procedural CPT codes are billed the same day by the same provider alongside `47145` and payer requires modifier for multiple procedures.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure was partially reduced or not completed as planned and documentation supports reduced service.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if the backbench preparation was started but then aborted for documented medical/technical reasons.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons with distinct roles perform portions of the preparation and payer requires reporting of a second surgeon.
`66`	Surgical team	Use when part of a documented surgical team approach for complex transplant operations as defined by the payer.
`78`	Return to OR for related procedure during postoperative period	Use if the patient (donor or recipient) returns to the operating room for a procedure related to the initial transplant within the global period and payer requires modifier.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon (additional operative assistance) is present and documented; some payers require modifier for assistant.
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when minimal assistant surgeon involvement is documented.
`82`	Assistant surgeon (when qualified resident not available)	Use when a qualified resident is not available and an assistant surgeon was required and documented.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services	Use when a qualified non-physician practitioner provides the service and payer requires this modifier.
`QK`	Medical direction of two, three, or four concurrent anesthesia procedures	Use for anesthesia reporting when applicable to concurrent anesthesia services for transplant recipients; not applied to surgical CPT but relevant to associated anesthesia claims.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208000000X	Transplant Surgery	Primary specialty performing donor liver backbench preparation.
207L00000X	General Surgery	General surgeons with transplant experience may perform or assist with preparation.
207K00000X	Surgical Critical Care	Surgeons involved in perioperative management and team-based transplant care.
2082S0127X	Hepatology (Transplant)	Hepatologists coordinate recipient care and may be involved in planning but do not perform the backbench dissection.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`47145`	Backbench standard preparation of liver from cadaver donor, includes removal of gallbladder and preparation of vena cava, portal vein, hepatic artery, and common bile duct; separation of segments II, III, IV from segments I and V–VIII to prepare two allografts	Primary procedure describing the donor liver backbench preparation and split into two grafts prior to transplantation.
`47146`	Backbench preparation of liver with partial procedures or complex vascular reconstruction (hypothetical adjacent code for context)	Used when additional complex vascular reconstruction beyond standard preparation is performed (if applicable in certain coding systems).
`47135`	Donor hepatectomy (removal of liver from donor) — code for procurement procedure (representative)	Performed prior to `47145` during the organ procurement; provides the liver that is subsequently prepared on the backbench.
`32830`	Ex vivo liver perfusion (example related intraoperative organ preservation code)	May be performed in coordination with backbench preparation for graft preservation during transport/implantation.
`47562`	Liver transplant, recipient total hepatectomy and transplantation (example recipient procedure)	Performed after `47145` on the recipient side when the prepared graft is implanted into the recipient.

Note: If additional billing codes are required for procurement, preservation, anesthesia, or recipient transplantation, they are reported separately and may be billed by different providers or facilities.

CPT 47133: Donor Hepatectomy for Liver Procurement

CPT-47135-LIVER-ALLOTRANSPLANTATION

CPT 47135: Liver Allotransplantation

CPT-47140-DONOR-HEPATECTOMY-LEFT-LATERAL-SEGMENTS

CPT 47140: Donor Hepatectomy, Left Lateral Segments Only

CPT-47141-DONOR-HEPATECTOMY-LEFT-LOBE-RESECTION

CPT 47141: Donor Hepatectomy, Total Left Lobe Resection

CPT-47142-RIGHT-LOBE-LIVING-DONOR-HEPATECTOMY-FOR-TRANSPLANT

CPT 47142: Right Lobe Living-Donor Liver Harvest

CPT-47143-BACKBENCH-LIVER-PREPARATION-CADAVER-DONOR

CPT 47143: Backbench Standard Preparation of Cadaver Donor Liver

CPT-47144-BACKBENCH-LIVER-PREPARATION-FOR-TRANSPLANT

CPT 47144: Backbench Liver Preparation for Transplant

CPT-47146-LIVER-GRAFT-VEIN-GRAFT-ATTACHMENT

CPT 47146: Liver Graft Vein Graft Attachment

CPT-47147-LIVER-GRAFT-ARTERY-GRAFT-FOR-ANASTOMOSIS

CPT 47147: Liver Graft Artery Graft for Anastomosis

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	Description	When to Use
`00`	No modifier — standard reporting	Use when no additional modifier applies to the service for billing.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when documented work (complexity, time) substantially exceeds typical preparation (rare for standardized backbench but applicable if unusually complex dissection documented).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Not typically applicable to a single-organ liver preparation; do not use routinely.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when multiple distinct procedural CPT codes are billed the same day by the same provider alongside `47145` and payer requires modifier for multiple procedures.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure was partially reduced or not completed as planned and documentation supports reduced service.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if the backbench preparation was started but then aborted for documented medical/technical reasons.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons with distinct roles perform portions of the preparation and payer requires reporting of a second surgeon.
`66`	Surgical team	Use when part of a documented surgical team approach for complex transplant operations as defined by the payer.
`78`	Return to OR for related procedure during postoperative period	Use if the patient (donor or recipient) returns to the operating room for a procedure related to the initial transplant within the global period and payer requires modifier.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon (additional operative assistance) is present and documented; some payers require modifier for assistant.
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when minimal assistant surgeon involvement is documented.
`82`	Assistant surgeon (when qualified resident not available)	Use when a qualified resident is not available and an assistant surgeon was required and documented.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services	Use when a qualified non-physician practitioner provides the service and payer requires this modifier.
`QK`	Medical direction of two, three, or four concurrent anesthesia procedures	Use for anesthesia reporting when applicable to concurrent anesthesia services for transplant recipients; not applied to surgical CPT but relevant to associated anesthesia claims.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208000000X	Transplant Surgery	Primary specialty performing donor liver backbench preparation.
207L00000X	General Surgery	General surgeons with transplant experience may perform or assist with preparation.
207K00000X	Surgical Critical Care	Surgeons involved in perioperative management and team-based transplant care.
2082S0127X	Hepatology (Transplant)	Hepatologists coordinate recipient care and may be involved in planning but do not perform the backbench dissection.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`47145`	Backbench standard preparation of liver from cadaver donor, includes removal of gallbladder and preparation of vena cava, portal vein, hepatic artery, and common bile duct; separation of segments II, III, IV from segments I and V–VIII to prepare two allografts	Primary procedure describing the donor liver backbench preparation and split into two grafts prior to transplantation.
`47146`	Backbench preparation of liver with partial procedures or complex vascular reconstruction (hypothetical adjacent code for context)	Used when additional complex vascular reconstruction beyond standard preparation is performed (if applicable in certain coding systems).
`47135`	Donor hepatectomy (removal of liver from donor) — code for procurement procedure (representative)	Performed prior to `47145` during the organ procurement; provides the liver that is subsequently prepared on the backbench.
`32830`	Ex vivo liver perfusion (example related intraoperative organ preservation code)	May be performed in coordination with backbench preparation for graft preservation during transport/implantation.
`47562`	Liver transplant, recipient total hepatectomy and transplantation (example recipient procedure)	Performed after `47145` on the recipient side when the prepared graft is implanted into the recipient.

CPT 47133: Donor Hepatectomy for Liver Procurement

CPT-47135-LIVER-ALLOTRANSPLANTATION

CPT 47135: Liver Allotransplantation

CPT-47140-DONOR-HEPATECTOMY-LEFT-LATERAL-SEGMENTS

CPT 47140: Donor Hepatectomy, Left Lateral Segments Only

CPT-47141-DONOR-HEPATECTOMY-LEFT-LOBE-RESECTION

CPT 47141: Donor Hepatectomy, Total Left Lobe Resection

CPT-47142-RIGHT-LOBE-LIVING-DONOR-HEPATECTOMY-FOR-TRANSPLANT

CPT 47142: Right Lobe Living-Donor Liver Harvest

CPT-47143-BACKBENCH-LIVER-PREPARATION-CADAVER-DONOR

CPT 47143: Backbench Standard Preparation of Cadaver Donor Liver

CPT-47144-BACKBENCH-LIVER-PREPARATION-FOR-TRANSPLANT

CPT 47144: Backbench Liver Preparation for Transplant

CPT-47146-LIVER-GRAFT-VEIN-GRAFT-ATTACHMENT

CPT 47146: Liver Graft Vein Graft Attachment

CPT-47147-LIVER-GRAFT-ARTERY-GRAFT-FOR-ANASTOMOSIS

CPT 47147: Liver Graft Artery Graft for Anastomosis

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 47145: Backbench Preparation of Cadaver Donor Liver

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 47145: Backbench Preparation of Cadaver Donor Liver

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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 47145: Backbench Preparation of Cadaver Donor Liver

Sign up for cpt 47145 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

CPT 47145: Backbench Preparation of Cadaver Donor Liver

Sign up for cpt 47145 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What clinical tasks are included in CPT 47145 backbench liver preparation?

Where and when is the backbench preparation (47145) typically performed?

Which modifiers are commonly used with CPT 47145 and when should they be applied?

How does CPT 47145 relate to other procurement and transplant CPT codes?

Which payers are referenced for CPT 47145 coverage, and does the page provide reimbursement rates?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What clinical tasks are included in CPT 47145 backbench liver preparation?

Where and when is the backbench preparation (47145) typically performed?

Which modifiers are commonly used with CPT 47145 and when should they be applied?

How does CPT 47145 relate to other procurement and transplant CPT codes?

Which payers are referenced for CPT 47145 coverage, and does the page provide reimbursement rates?

References