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CPT 48554: Cadaveric Pancreas Allograft Implantation, Native Pancreas Retained

CPT code 48554 represents the surgical implantation of a cadaveric pancreas allograft while leaving the patient’s own pancreas in place. This operation is a form of solid-organ transplantation used for patients with pancreatic failure from trauma or chronic disease and is a high-acuity inpatient surgical service with significant perioperative and long-term care implications. Nationally, pancreas transplantation affects outcomes for select patients with end-stage pancreatic disease and interfaces with transplant center protocols, organ procurement systems, and payer authorization processes.

Key payers relevant to coverage and reimbursement for this service include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical and billing context for 48554, including the service line and typical site of service, common payer coverage considerations, and the types of benchmarks and policy topics that typically accompany analysis of complex inpatient transplant procedures. The publication also summarizes common modifiers and administrative details that affect claim submission and discusses related clinical considerations such as indications and perioperative setting. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 48554 describes the implantation of a healthy pancreas from a cadaveric (nonliving) donor while leaving the recipient’s native pancreas in place. This procedure is performed for patients with pancreatic failure due to traumatic abdominal injury or chronic pancreatic disease.

Service type: Surgical organ transplant procedure
Typical site of service: Inpatient hospital setting, typically performed in an operating room with post-operative inpatient care

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CPT 48554: Cadaveric Pancreas Allograft Implantation, Native Pancreas Retained

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Surgical organ transplant procedure
Typical site of service: Inpatient hospital setting, typically performed in an operating room with post-operative inpatient care

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is an adult with end-stage pancreatic insufficiency or traumatic pancreatic destruction who receives a whole-organ pancreatic allograft from a deceased donor while retaining their native pancreas. The patient often has brittle diabetes with recurrent hypoglycemia or life-threatening metabolic complications, chronic pancreatitis with intractable pain and malabsorption, or major pancreatic trauma. The clinical workflow begins with multidisciplinary evaluation by transplant surgery, endocrinology, and transplant nephrology when applicable; listing and donor matching; preoperative optimization including immunologic workup and infection screening; operative implantation of the cadaveric pancreas with vascular anastomoses and enteric or bladder drainage of the exocrine secretions; and immediate postoperative management in a transplant-capable intensive care unit with immunosuppression initiation, glycemic monitoring, infection surveillance, and complication management (bleeding, thrombosis, graft pancreatitis, or rejection). Hospital inpatient stay is typical, often with staged follow-up in transplant clinics for dose adjustments and surveillance biopsies or imaging if rejection or graft dysfunction is suspected.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`00`	Unspecified	Rarely used; applies only when payer-specific use requires an unspecified modifier field.
`11`	Standard professional service	Use for the primary surgeon when no unusual circumstances or altered services apply.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when operative complexity or complications substantially increase work beyond typical for pancreatic transplantation.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when medically necessary unusual anesthesia is required that is not reflected in base anesthesia code.
`26`	Professional component	Use if reporting only the surgeon’s professional component separate from facility billing where payer requires split billing.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Not typically applicable for single-organ pancreas transplant; reserved when bilateral reporting rules apply for related procedures.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when additional distinct billable procedures are performed during the same operative session (for example, simultaneous transplant of another organ).
`52`	Reduced services	Use if the transplant was attempted but significantly reduced or abbreviated.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the planned transplant was started but aborted due to intraoperative patient instability and work was stopped.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons of the same specialty operate together and payer requires this modifier for shared operative work.
`63`	Procedure performed on infants less than 4 kg	Use when recipient meets weight-based criteria per payer or facility policy.
`78`	Unplanned return to OR by same physician following initial procedure for a related procedure during the postoperative global period	Use for re-exploration for bleeding, graft thrombosis, or other complication.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when a surgical assistant is present and payer requires reporting an assistant at the time of transplant.
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when a minimum assistant level is documented and allowed by payer.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`208000000X`	Transplant Surgery	Primary surgeons who perform pancreas transplantation.
`207L00000X`	General Surgery	Surgeons with transplant expertise performing pancreatic allografts in some centers.
`207RH0000X`	Endocrinology	Manages pre- and postoperative glycemic control and long-term endocrine outcomes.
`207Q00000X`	Nephrology	Frequently involved when simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant or renal comorbidity exists.
`208100000X`	Critical Care Medicine	Manages immediate postoperative care in ICU setting.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K86.0`	Alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis	Chronic pancreatitis with progressive pancreatic insufficiency may lead to consideration of transplantation when refractory to medical therapy.
`K86.1`	Other chronic pancreatitis	Chronic, nonalcoholic pancreatitis causing intractable pain or failure and malabsorption prompting transplant evaluation.
`S36.2X`	Injury of pancreas (multiple subcodes for specifics)	Traumatic pancreatic injury leading to loss of function or severe structural damage indicating pancreatic replacement.
`E10.9`	Type 1 diabetes mellitus without complications	Autoimmune pancreatic failure with brittle diabetes is a common indication for pancreas transplant to restore endocrine function.
`E11.9`	Type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications	Selected patients with insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes and severe metabolic complications may be considered for pancreas transplant in combination with other indications.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`48554`	Pancreas transplant with recipient pancreas left in place (implantation of a healthy cadaveric pancreas)	Primary procedural code for isolated pancreas implantation; used for billing the transplant operation.
`44145`	Small intestine resection, partial; single resection and anastomosis	May be used if bowel resection and anastomosis are required during implantation or management of complications.
`47562`	Laparoscopy, surgical; cholecystectomy with cholangiography	Cholecystectomy may be performed concurrently in selected patients during abdominal transplant surgery.
`36556`	Insertion of non-tunneled centrally inserted central venous catheter; age 5 years or older	Commonly performed pre- or intraoperatively for central venous access for fluids, immunosuppression, or hemodynamic monitoring.
`36415`	Collection of venous blood by venipuncture	Routine perioperative and postoperative laboratory monitoring for graft function and immunosuppressive drug levels.
`87810`	Infectious agent antigen detection (e.g., transplant donor/recipient infectious disease testing)	Used for perioperative infectious disease testing as part of transplant evaluation and donor screening.

CPT 48550: Pancreas Procurement from Cadaveric Donor

CPT-48551-PANCREAS-DONOR-PREPARATION-FOR-TRANSPLANTATION

CPT 48551: Pancreas Donor Preparation for Transplantation

CPT-48552-DONOR-PANCREAS-VEIN-RECONSTRUCTION-ORGAN-PREPARATION

CPT 48552: Donor Pancreas Vein Reconstruction and Organ Preparation

CPT-48556-DONOR-PANCREAS-EXPLANTATION

CPT 48556: Donor Pancreas Explantation for Graft Failure

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.

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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`	Unspecified	Rarely used; applies only when payer-specific use requires an unspecified modifier field.
`11`	Standard professional service	Use for the primary surgeon when no unusual circumstances or altered services apply.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when operative complexity or complications substantially increase work beyond typical for pancreatic transplantation.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when medically necessary unusual anesthesia is required that is not reflected in base anesthesia code.
`26`	Professional component	Use if reporting only the surgeon’s professional component separate from facility billing where payer requires split billing.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Not typically applicable for single-organ pancreas transplant; reserved when bilateral reporting rules apply for related procedures.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when additional distinct billable procedures are performed during the same operative session (for example, simultaneous transplant of another organ).
`52`	Reduced services	Use if the transplant was attempted but significantly reduced or abbreviated.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the planned transplant was started but aborted due to intraoperative patient instability and work was stopped.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons of the same specialty operate together and payer requires this modifier for shared operative work.
`63`	Procedure performed on infants less than 4 kg	Use when recipient meets weight-based criteria per payer or facility policy.
`78`	Unplanned return to OR by same physician following initial procedure for a related procedure during the postoperative global period	Use for re-exploration for bleeding, graft thrombosis, or other complication.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when a surgical assistant is present and payer requires reporting an assistant at the time of transplant.
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when a minimum assistant level is documented and allowed by payer.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`208000000X`	Transplant Surgery	Primary surgeons who perform pancreas transplantation.
`207L00000X`	General Surgery	Surgeons with transplant expertise performing pancreatic allografts in some centers.
`207RH0000X`	Endocrinology	Manages pre- and postoperative glycemic control and long-term endocrine outcomes.
`207Q00000X`	Nephrology	Frequently involved when simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant or renal comorbidity exists.
`208100000X`	Critical Care Medicine	Manages immediate postoperative care in ICU setting.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K86.0`	Alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis	Chronic pancreatitis with progressive pancreatic insufficiency may lead to consideration of transplantation when refractory to medical therapy.
`K86.1`	Other chronic pancreatitis	Chronic, nonalcoholic pancreatitis causing intractable pain or failure and malabsorption prompting transplant evaluation.
`S36.2X`	Injury of pancreas (multiple subcodes for specifics)	Traumatic pancreatic injury leading to loss of function or severe structural damage indicating pancreatic replacement.
`E10.9`	Type 1 diabetes mellitus without complications	Autoimmune pancreatic failure with brittle diabetes is a common indication for pancreas transplant to restore endocrine function.
`E11.9`	Type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications	Selected patients with insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes and severe metabolic complications may be considered for pancreas transplant in combination with other indications.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`48554`	Pancreas transplant with recipient pancreas left in place (implantation of a healthy cadaveric pancreas)	Primary procedural code for isolated pancreas implantation; used for billing the transplant operation.
`44145`	Small intestine resection, partial; single resection and anastomosis	May be used if bowel resection and anastomosis are required during implantation or management of complications.
`47562`	Laparoscopy, surgical; cholecystectomy with cholangiography	Cholecystectomy may be performed concurrently in selected patients during abdominal transplant surgery.
`36556`	Insertion of non-tunneled centrally inserted central venous catheter; age 5 years or older	Commonly performed pre- or intraoperatively for central venous access for fluids, immunosuppression, or hemodynamic monitoring.
`36415`	Collection of venous blood by venipuncture	Routine perioperative and postoperative laboratory monitoring for graft function and immunosuppressive drug levels.
`87810`	Infectious agent antigen detection (e.g., transplant donor/recipient infectious disease testing)	Used for perioperative infectious disease testing as part of transplant evaluation and donor screening.

CPT 48550: Pancreas Procurement from Cadaveric Donor

CPT-48551-PANCREAS-DONOR-PREPARATION-FOR-TRANSPLANTATION

CPT 48551: Pancreas Donor Preparation for Transplantation

CPT-48552-DONOR-PANCREAS-VEIN-RECONSTRUCTION-ORGAN-PREPARATION

CPT 48552: Donor Pancreas Vein Reconstruction and Organ Preparation

CPT-48556-DONOR-PANCREAS-EXPLANTATION

CPT 48556: Donor Pancreas Explantation for Graft Failure

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 48554: Cadaveric Pancreas Allograft Implantation, Native Pancreas Retained

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 48554: Cadaveric Pancreas Allograft Implantation, Native Pancreas Retained

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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