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CPT 47300: Open Surgical Drainage of Liver Cyst or Abscess

CPT code 47300 represents open surgical incision, drainage and creation of a pouch for continued drainage of a liver cyst or abscess. This operative procedure is used for hepatic lesions that require direct surgical management rather than percutaneous or purely medical approaches. Nationally, the code is important for hospital surgical billing, resource allocation in acute care settings, and tracking utilization of invasive hepatic procedures.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the clinical context for open hepatic drainage, payer coverage considerations, and service-line implications. The publication summarizes typical sites of service and procedure intent, provides benchmark framing where available, and flags areas for coding attention and potential policy updates affecting inpatient surgical billing. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 47300 describes an open surgical procedure to incise and drain a cyst or abscess of the liver and create a pouch from the cyst or abscess walls to allow continued drainage. This procedure involves direct operative access to the hepatic lesion, evacuation of purulent or cystic contents, and formation of a draining cavity or pouch to promote ongoing drainage.

Service type: Open surgical drainage of hepatic cyst or abscess
Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or acute care surgical setting

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CPT 47300: Open Surgical Drainage of Liver Cyst or Abscess

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Open surgical drainage of hepatic cyst or abscess
Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or acute care surgical setting

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 54-year-old male with fever, right upper quadrant abdominal pain, and ultrasound demonstrating a 6-cm hepatic fluid collection consistent with a pyogenic liver abscess presents for operative management. After initial resuscitation and broad-spectrum IV antibiotics, the patient is brought to the operating room for surgical drainage. Under general anesthesia, the surgeon makes a right subcostal incision, enters the peritoneal cavity, and exposes the liver. The abscess capsule is incised, purulent material is evacuated and cultured. The cavity is irrigated and a marsupialization is created by suturing the abscess wall to the skin/subcutaneous tissues to allow continued external drainage and prevent reaccumulation.

In the clinical workflow: preoperative imaging (ultrasound or CT) confirms the collection and guides operative planning; informed consent documents risks/benefits; perioperative antibiotics and analgesia are provided; intraoperative specimen collection for gram stain/culture is performed; postoperative care includes drain management, wound care, antibiotic tailoring based on culture results, and follow-up imaging to confirm resolution. This procedure corresponds to an open surgical approach to incise and drain a hepatic cyst or abscess with creation of a draining pouch (marsupialization).

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work, time, difficulty or severity substantially exceeds typical for the procedure.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is required for a procedure normally done with local/regional anesthesia.
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the physician's interpretation or professional portion of a separately reportable service.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when identical procedures are performed on both anatomically paired organs or sites.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when multiple distinct procedures are performed in the same operative session.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as described.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when procedure is terminated due to extenuating circumstances or patient condition.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use to indicate a separate and distinct procedure or service not normally reported together.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of a single procedure.
`63`	Procedure performed on infants less than 4 kg	Use for neonates meeting weight criterion when applicable.
`78`	Return to the operating room for a related procedure during the postoperative period	Use when a return to the OR for a related procedure occurs during global period.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon is required and documented.
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when a minimal assistant surgeon is documented.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services for assistant at surgery	Use when a qualified APP serves as assistant at surgery per payer policy.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208000000X	General Surgery	Most common specialty performing open hepatic abscess drainage and marsupialization.
2086S0122X	Surgical Oncology	Performs hepatic procedures for neoplastic or complex infectious disease involving liver.
207RG0100X	Colon & Rectal Surgery	May be involved when hepatic abscess related to colorectal source requires combined management.
2084P0800X	Transplant Surgery	Involved when management intersects with liver transplant patients or complex hepatic pathology.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K75.0`	Acute hepatic failure	Severe hepatic infection or necrosis that may be associated with abscess formation requiring drainage.
`K75.2`	Abscess of liver	Direct indication for incision, drainage, and marsupialization of a hepatic abscess.
`K76.3`	Portal hypertension	May be present in chronic liver disease patients who develop secondary infections or abscesses complicating management.
`K70.3`	Alcoholic cirrhosis of liver	Underlying cirrhosis can predispose to infections and complicate surgical management of hepatic abscess.
`A41.9`	Sepsis, unspecified organism	Systemic infection that can originate from or be complicated by a hepatic abscess requiring drainage.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`49020`	Drainage of peritoneal abscess; open	May be performed if intra-abdominal extension of the hepatic abscess requires peritoneal drainage during the same operation.
`47370`	Hepatectomy, partial (wedge resection)	Performed when abscess involves nonviable hepatic tissue requiring resection rather than simple drainage.
`76942`	Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic)	May be used preoperatively or intraoperatively for percutaneous localization or drainage attempts prior to open marsupialization.
`49083`	Drainage of deep pelvic abscess; percutaneous, radiologic imaging guidance	Represents percutaneous alternative approaches to abscess drainage that may be attempted before open surgical drainage.
`11042`	Debridement; skin, subcutaneous tissue and muscle	May be used for wound management if significant infected soft tissue requires debridement at the incision or drain site.

CPT 47350: Simple Repair of Hepatic Hemorrhage

CPT-47360-COMPLEX-HEPATIC-HEMORRHAGE-REPAIR

CPT 47360: Complex Repair of Hepatic Hemorrhage

CPT-47361-HEPATIC-HEMORRHAGE-CONTROL-DEBRIDEMENT-AND-CLOSURE

CPT 47361: Operative Control of Liver Hemorrhage, Debridement and Closure

CPT-47362-LIVER-HEMORRHAGE-REVISION-EXPLORATION

CPT 47362: Re-entry for Liver Hemorrhage, Clot and Packing Removal

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
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work, time, difficulty or severity substantially exceeds typical for the procedure.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is required for a procedure normally done with local/regional anesthesia.
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the physician's interpretation or professional portion of a separately reportable service.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when identical procedures are performed on both anatomically paired organs or sites.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when multiple distinct procedures are performed in the same operative session.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as described.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when procedure is terminated due to extenuating circumstances or patient condition.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use to indicate a separate and distinct procedure or service not normally reported together.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of a single procedure.
`63`	Procedure performed on infants less than 4 kg	Use for neonates meeting weight criterion when applicable.
`78`	Return to the operating room for a related procedure during the postoperative period	Use when a return to the OR for a related procedure occurs during global period.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon is required and documented.
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when a minimal assistant surgeon is documented.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services for assistant at surgery	Use when a qualified APP serves as assistant at surgery per payer policy.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208000000X	General Surgery	Most common specialty performing open hepatic abscess drainage and marsupialization.
2086S0122X	Surgical Oncology	Performs hepatic procedures for neoplastic or complex infectious disease involving liver.
207RG0100X	Colon & Rectal Surgery	May be involved when hepatic abscess related to colorectal source requires combined management.
2084P0800X	Transplant Surgery	Involved when management intersects with liver transplant patients or complex hepatic pathology.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K75.0`	Acute hepatic failure	Severe hepatic infection or necrosis that may be associated with abscess formation requiring drainage.
`K75.2`	Abscess of liver	Direct indication for incision, drainage, and marsupialization of a hepatic abscess.
`K76.3`	Portal hypertension	May be present in chronic liver disease patients who develop secondary infections or abscesses complicating management.
`K70.3`	Alcoholic cirrhosis of liver	Underlying cirrhosis can predispose to infections and complicate surgical management of hepatic abscess.
`A41.9`	Sepsis, unspecified organism	Systemic infection that can originate from or be complicated by a hepatic abscess requiring drainage.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`49020`	Drainage of peritoneal abscess; open	May be performed if intra-abdominal extension of the hepatic abscess requires peritoneal drainage during the same operation.
`47370`	Hepatectomy, partial (wedge resection)	Performed when abscess involves nonviable hepatic tissue requiring resection rather than simple drainage.
`76942`	Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic)	May be used preoperatively or intraoperatively for percutaneous localization or drainage attempts prior to open marsupialization.
`49083`	Drainage of deep pelvic abscess; percutaneous, radiologic imaging guidance	Represents percutaneous alternative approaches to abscess drainage that may be attempted before open surgical drainage.
`11042`	Debridement; skin, subcutaneous tissue and muscle	May be used for wound management if significant infected soft tissue requires debridement at the incision or drain site.

CPT 47350: Simple Repair of Hepatic Hemorrhage

CPT-47360-COMPLEX-HEPATIC-HEMORRHAGE-REPAIR

CPT 47360: Complex Repair of Hepatic Hemorrhage

CPT-47361-HEPATIC-HEMORRHAGE-CONTROL-DEBRIDEMENT-AND-CLOSURE

CPT 47361: Operative Control of Liver Hemorrhage, Debridement and Closure

CPT-47362-LIVER-HEMORRHAGE-REVISION-EXPLORATION

CPT 47362: Re-entry for Liver Hemorrhage, Clot and Packing Removal

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.

OpenPayer

CPT 47300: Open Surgical Drainage of Liver Cyst or Abscess

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 47300: Open Surgical Drainage of Liver Cyst or Abscess

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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 47300: Open Surgical Drainage of Liver Cyst or Abscess

Sign up for cpt 47300 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

CPT 47300: Open Surgical Drainage of Liver Cyst or Abscess

Sign up for cpt 47300 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT 47300 represent and where is it typically performed?

Which related CPT codes should be considered alongside 47300?

What diagnoses and clinical scenarios are commonly associated with CPT 47300?

Which CPT modifiers are noted as potentially applicable to 47300?

Which provider specialties and taxonomy codes commonly perform the procedure described by 47300?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT 47300 represent and where is it typically performed?

Which related CPT codes should be considered alongside 47300?

What diagnoses and clinical scenarios are commonly associated with CPT 47300?

Which CPT modifiers are noted as potentially applicable to 47300?

Which provider specialties and taxonomy codes commonly perform the procedure described by 47300?

References