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CPT 47384: Irreversible Electroporation Ablation of Liver Tumor(s)

CPT code 47384 represents percutaneous irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablation of one or more liver tumors with imaging guidance. IRE is a non-thermal, minimally invasive interventional oncology technique that delivers short, high-voltage electrical pulses to induce tumor cell death while sparing surrounding structures. Nationally, the code is significant as clinicians and payers evaluate coverage for advanced image-guided ablation modalities and their role in multidisciplinary liver tumor management.

Key payers discussed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a condensed briefing on clinical context, typical sites of service, and the scope of CPT code 47384, plus what to expect from payer coverage patterns and documentation expectations in national policy discussions. The publication also outlines related billing considerations, common adjunct service lines, and how this code fits within interventional radiology and oncology procedural workflows.

The report is intended to help billing managers, practice leaders, and policy analysts understand where CPT code 47384 sits in current procedural catalogs, the clinical rationale for its use, and the national payer landscape relevant to advanced liver tumor ablation techniques. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 47384 describes irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablation of one or more liver tumors via a percutaneous approach. The procedure is a minimally invasive tumor ablation technique in which a probe is inserted through the skin into the liver and delivers very short, high-voltage electrical pulses that permanently disrupt tumor cell membranes, causing cell death without thermal or cryogenic energy. Imaging guidance is included in this service.

Service type: Percutaneous image-guided tumor ablation (non-thermal, irreversible electroporation)

Typical site of service: Hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgical center, percutaneous image-guided interventional radiology suite

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CPT 47384: Irreversible Electroporation Ablation of Liver Tumor(s)

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Percutaneous image-guided tumor ablation (non-thermal, irreversible electroporation)

Typical site of service: Hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgical center, percutaneous image-guided interventional radiology suite

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 68-year-old patient with a history of colorectal cancer presents with one to three discrete hepatic metastases identified on cross-sectional imaging. The multidisciplinary tumor board recommends percutaneous irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablation of the liver tumors because lesions are near major bile ducts or vascular structures where thermal ablation poses higher risk. The interventional radiology team performs the procedure in an outpatient interventional suite or hospital interventional radiology operating room under moderate sedation or general anesthesia. Under real-time imaging guidance (CT or ultrasound with CT fusion), the physician inserts one or more percutaneous probes into the targeted lesions and delivers short, high-voltage electrical pulses to induce tumor cell membrane permeabilization and cell death. Peri-procedural steps include pre-procedure imaging review, informed consent, sterile preparation, probe placement under imaging, pulse delivery, immediate post-ablation imaging to assess ablation zone and detect complications, and post-procedure recovery with discharge instructions and outpatient follow-up imaging to assess efficacy and detect recurrence. Typical site of service is an outpatient interventional radiology suite or hospital-based procedure room.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	When billing is split and only the physician interpretation or service is billed separately from technical component
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Not typically applicable for liver ablation; do not use for multiple lesions in same organ
`51`	Multiple procedures	When additional distinct procedural CPT codes are billed on same day (use per payer rules)
`59`	Distinct procedural service	When a separate, unrelated procedure is performed on same day and needs to be reported as distinct
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	When the same physician repeats the IRE procedure later the same day
`77`	Repeat procedure by another physician	When a different physician repeats the IRE procedure same day
`78`	Unplanned return to the operating/procedure room by the same physician following initial procedure for a related procedure during the postoperative period	For documented complications requiring return to procedure room for management
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service by same physician during postoperative period	When an unrelated procedure is performed during global period
`GA`	Waiver of liability statement on file (when required by payer)	When patient refuses standard care alternatives and signed ABN/waiver is on file as required
`XE`	Separate encounter, a service that is distinct because it occurred during a separate encounter	When billing distinct encounter- based services per modifier usage rules

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207RX0200X	Interventional Radiology	Primary specialty performing percutaneous liver IRE procedures
2080P0232X	Vascular and Interventional Radiology	Overlapping taxonomy used by interventional radiologists in hospital settings
207L00000X	Diagnostic Radiology	Diagnostic radiologists with procedural privileges may perform image-guided ablations
2084P0800X	Surgical Oncology	Surgical oncologists may perform or coordinate tumor-directed ablations
2086S0124X	Hepatology	Hepatologists participate in multidisciplinary care and follow-up (less commonly the proceduralist)

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`C78.7`	Secondary malignant neoplasm of liver and intrahepatic bile duct	Common indication when metastases from other primaries involve the liver and focal ablation is considered
`C22.0`	Liver cell carcinoma	Primary hepatocellular carcinoma that may be managed with focal ablation when appropriate
`C22.8`	Other specified carcinomas of liver	Other primary malignant liver neoplasms that could be treated with loco-regional ablation
`K76.89`	Other specified diseases of liver	May represent localized benign or pre-malignant lesions evaluated in differential diagnosis prior to ablation
`D03.9`	Melanoma in situ, unspecified	Included when liver metastasis workup traces to cutaneous primaries (note: metastasis code more commonly used)

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`49329`	Laparoscopy, surgical; ablation of one or more liver tumors, radiofrequency or microwave, when performed laparoscopically	Alternative ablation approach when IRE is not used or when laparoscopy is chosen instead of percutaneous access
`77012`	CT guidance for needle placement (eg, biopsy, aspiration, injection, localization device), radiological supervision and interpretation	Often billed for CT image guidance component if billed separately by radiology depending on payer bundling rules
`76942`	Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement (eg, biopsy, aspiration, injection, localization device), imaging supervision and interpretation	Used when ultrasound guidance is the imaging modality for probe placement
`99233`	Subsequent hospital care, typically 35 minutes per day	For inpatient pre- or post-procedure daily critical decision-making follow-up by the physician
`43249`	Endoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with FNA of liver lesion — (note: example of advanced diagnostic procedure)	Occasionally used in diagnostic workflows for sampling lesions prior to ablation when endoscopic access is required
`CPT not provided`	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.

CPT 47380: Open Radiofrequency Ablation of Liver Tumors

CPT-47381-OPEN-LIVER-CRYOABLATION

CPT 47381: Open Cryosurgical Ablation of Liver Tumors

CPT-47382-PERCUTANEOUS-RADIOFREQUENCY-ABLATION-LIVER-TUMOR

CPT 47382: Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation of Liver Tumor

CPT-47383-PERCUTANEOUS-LIVER-CRYOABLATION

CPT 47383: Percutaneous Cryoablation of Liver Tumors

CPT-47399-UNLISTED-LIVER-PROCEDURE

CPT 47399: Unlisted Procedure for Liver Interventions

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
`26`	Professional component	When billing is split and only the physician interpretation or service is billed separately from technical component
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Not typically applicable for liver ablation; do not use for multiple lesions in same organ
`51`	Multiple procedures	When additional distinct procedural CPT codes are billed on same day (use per payer rules)
`59`	Distinct procedural service	When a separate, unrelated procedure is performed on same day and needs to be reported as distinct
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	When the same physician repeats the IRE procedure later the same day
`77`	Repeat procedure by another physician	When a different physician repeats the IRE procedure same day
`78`	Unplanned return to the operating/procedure room by the same physician following initial procedure for a related procedure during the postoperative period	For documented complications requiring return to procedure room for management
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service by same physician during postoperative period	When an unrelated procedure is performed during global period
`GA`	Waiver of liability statement on file (when required by payer)	When patient refuses standard care alternatives and signed ABN/waiver is on file as required
`XE`	Separate encounter, a service that is distinct because it occurred during a separate encounter	When billing distinct encounter- based services per modifier usage rules

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207RX0200X	Interventional Radiology	Primary specialty performing percutaneous liver IRE procedures
2080P0232X	Vascular and Interventional Radiology	Overlapping taxonomy used by interventional radiologists in hospital settings
207L00000X	Diagnostic Radiology	Diagnostic radiologists with procedural privileges may perform image-guided ablations
2084P0800X	Surgical Oncology	Surgical oncologists may perform or coordinate tumor-directed ablations
2086S0124X	Hepatology	Hepatologists participate in multidisciplinary care and follow-up (less commonly the proceduralist)

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`C78.7`	Secondary malignant neoplasm of liver and intrahepatic bile duct	Common indication when metastases from other primaries involve the liver and focal ablation is considered
`C22.0`	Liver cell carcinoma	Primary hepatocellular carcinoma that may be managed with focal ablation when appropriate
`C22.8`	Other specified carcinomas of liver	Other primary malignant liver neoplasms that could be treated with loco-regional ablation
`K76.89`	Other specified diseases of liver	May represent localized benign or pre-malignant lesions evaluated in differential diagnosis prior to ablation
`D03.9`	Melanoma in situ, unspecified	Included when liver metastasis workup traces to cutaneous primaries (note: metastasis code more commonly used)

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`49329`	Laparoscopy, surgical; ablation of one or more liver tumors, radiofrequency or microwave, when performed laparoscopically	Alternative ablation approach when IRE is not used or when laparoscopy is chosen instead of percutaneous access
`77012`	CT guidance for needle placement (eg, biopsy, aspiration, injection, localization device), radiological supervision and interpretation	Often billed for CT image guidance component if billed separately by radiology depending on payer bundling rules
`76942`	Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement (eg, biopsy, aspiration, injection, localization device), imaging supervision and interpretation	Used when ultrasound guidance is the imaging modality for probe placement
`99233`	Subsequent hospital care, typically 35 minutes per day	For inpatient pre- or post-procedure daily critical decision-making follow-up by the physician
`43249`	Endoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with FNA of liver lesion — (note: example of advanced diagnostic procedure)	Occasionally used in diagnostic workflows for sampling lesions prior to ablation when endoscopic access is required
`CPT not provided`	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.

CPT 47380: Open Radiofrequency Ablation of Liver Tumors

CPT-47381-OPEN-LIVER-CRYOABLATION

CPT 47381: Open Cryosurgical Ablation of Liver Tumors

CPT-47382-PERCUTANEOUS-RADIOFREQUENCY-ABLATION-LIVER-TUMOR

CPT 47382: Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation of Liver Tumor

CPT-47383-PERCUTANEOUS-LIVER-CRYOABLATION

CPT 47383: Percutaneous Cryoablation of Liver Tumors

CPT-47399-UNLISTED-LIVER-PROCEDURE

CPT 47399: Unlisted Procedure for Liver Interventions

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 47384: Irreversible Electroporation Ablation of Liver Tumor(s)

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Billing Code Overview

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OpenPayer

CPT 47384: Irreversible Electroporation Ablation of Liver Tumor(s)

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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