Find policies, billing codes, payers, states, and providers

CPT 50360: Kidney and Ureter Transplantation

CPT code 50360 represents surgical transplantation of a kidney and ureter from a cadaveric or living donor into a recipient without performing a recipient nephrectomy. This procedure is a cornerstone of renal replacement therapy for patients with end-stage kidney disease and has significant clinical and financial implications across the US health system. Nationally, kidney transplantation reduces long-term dialysis dependence, affects organ allocation policy, and involves complex perioperative and immunosuppressive management.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise briefing on clinical context, common billing and reporting considerations, and the typical site-of-service profile for the code. The publication outlines benchmarks relevant to transplant episode billing, summarizes recent policy updates that affect transplant authorization and coverage, and highlights clinical factors that influence utilization and coding (for example, donor type and perioperative complexity).

The piece is aimed at coding professionals, revenue cycle managers, and clinical leaders who need a clear, national-level reference for CPT code 50360. Data not available in the input are noted where applicable; the content focuses on coding definition, service setting, payer coverage landscape, and practical considerations for institutional billing and policy alignment.

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 50360 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 50360 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 50360 describes the transplantation of a kidney and ureter from a cadaver or living donor into a recipient. The procedure as defined excludes removal of a kidney (nephrectomy) from the recipient.

Service type: Organ transplant surgery (kidney transplantation)

Typical site of service: Inpatient hospital operating room or other acute care surgical setting where organ transplant procedures are performed.

Data not available in the input for taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, related codes, and service line.

Find policies, billing codes, payers, states, and providers

CPT 50360: Kidney and Ureter Transplantation

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 50360 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 50360 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Billing Code Overview

Service type: Organ transplant surgery (kidney transplantation)

Typical site of service: Inpatient hospital operating room or other acute care surgical setting where organ transplant procedures are performed.

Data not available in the input for taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, related codes, and service line.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is a 45–65-year-old adult with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) admitted for elective kidney transplantation. The recipient has completed pre-transplant evaluation including crossmatch, panel-reactive antibody testing, infectious disease screening, and cardiac clearance. A donor kidney arrives (from a living or deceased donor) and the transplant surgeon performs implantation of the donor kidney and ureter into the recipient; no recipient nephrectomy is performed during this encounter. The clinical workflow includes preoperative time for anesthesia evaluation and immunosuppression induction, intraoperative vascular anastomosis of the renal artery and vein, ureteroneocystostomy with ureteral stent placement as indicated, hemostasis, and postoperative transfer to recovery or transplant unit for monitoring of urine output, graft perfusion, and early immunosuppression management. Typical sites of service are inpatient hospital operating room for deceased donor or living donor transplantation and specialized ambulatory surgical centers for selected living donor-recipient procedures when applicable.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`00`	No modifier — institutional designation varies by payer	Use when no secondary modifier is applicable; payer-specific reporting may require no modifier field.
`11`	Office or other outpatient visit — not typically used for major surgery	Rare for pre- or post-op evaluation when billed separately by the surgeon in an outpatient setting on the same day under payer rules.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work or complexity substantially exceeds typical for a transplant (rare; requires documentation).
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the physician professional component distinct from facility charges, if payer accepts split billing.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Not routinely used for single-organ kidney transplant; reserved if reporting bilateral separate organ procedures (rare).
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when additional procedures are billed during the same operative session (e.g., concomitant vascular procedure) and payer requires modifier reporting.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the transplant procedure is started but substantially reduced or not completed as documented.
`54`	Surgical care only	Use when the surgeon bills only the intraoperative surgical component and another provider bills pre/post-op care.
`55`	Postoperative management only	Use when the surgeon bills only the global period postoperative care for a transplant and another billed the surgery.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons of different specialties work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of the transplant.
`63`	Procedure performed on infants less than 4 kg	Rarely applicable; include only when patient weight criteria met.
`78`	Unplanned return to OR for related procedure during global period	Use when the patient returns to the operating room for a complication related to the transplant.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when a physician assistant surgeon provides assistance and payer requires `80` for the assistant.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist as primary surgeon	Use when an allowed non-physician practitioner performs the transplant as the primary surgeon under state law and payer policy.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`2080S0003X`	Transplant Surgeon	Surgeons specializing in abdominal organ transplantation; commonly perform kidney implants.
`2080P0206X`	Urologist	Urologic surgeons commonly perform ureteroneocystostomy and manage genitourinary aspects of the transplant.
`207SG0200X`	General Surgeon	General surgeons with transplant training participate in vascular anastomosis and operative care.
`207LP2900X`	Nephrology	Nephrologists manage pre- and postoperative medical care, immunosuppression management, and long-term follow-up.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`N18.6`	End stage renal disease	The primary indication for kidney transplantation; patients on dialysis or with irreversible kidney failure.
`N18.5`	Chronic kidney disease, stage 5	Advanced CKD commonly progresses to ESRD and is an indication for transplant evaluation.
`Z94.0`	Kidney transplant status	Used in post-transplant follow-up to denote transplant recipient status.
`T86.10`	Unspecified complication of kidney transplant	Used for complications related to the transplant when specific complications are not coded separately.
`Z48.23`	Encounter for aftercare following kidney transplant	Coded for routine postoperative follow-up visits and management.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`50365`	Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy	Performed when the donor kidney is procured laparoscopically prior to transplant into the recipient.
`50547`	Nephrectomy, partial or total, including renal pedicle — separate code for donor nephrectomy in living donor scenarios when recipient kidney removal is not performed	Used when a donor nephrectomy is performed (living donor) in the same episode but billed separately from the transplant implantation.
`43280`	Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) — example of diagnostic/therapeutic endoscopy not routine for kidney transplant but sometimes performed in complex abdominal surgery settings	Occasionally relevant if simultaneous abdominal procedures require additional endoscopic services; bill separately.
`36556`	Insertion of non-tunneled centrally inserted central venous catheter	Frequently performed perioperatively for administration of immunosuppressants, fluids, and medications.
`50370`	Renal autotransplantation	Related conceptually as another transplant procedure; not performed with cadaveric/living donor transplants but listed for coding context.

Related Codes

CPT-50300-NEPHRECTOMY-KIDNEY-REMOVAL

CPT 50300: Nephrectomy, Kidney Removal

CPT-50320-NEPHRECTOMY-KIDNEY-REMOVAL

CPT 50320: Nephrectomy, Removal of Kidney or Part of Kidney

CPT-50323-CADAVER-DONOR-KIDNEY-BACK-TABLE-PREPARATION

CPT 50323: Cadaver Donor Kidney Back Table Preparation

CPT-50325-DONOR-KIDNEY-BACK-TABLE-PREPARATION

CPT 50325: Living Donor Kidney Back Table Preparation

CPT-50327-RENAL-VEIN-BACKBENCH-RECONSTRUCTION

CPT 50327: Renal Vein Backbench Reconstruction for Kidney Transplantation

CPT-50328-ARTERIAL-ALLOGRAFT-PREPARATION-FOR-KIDNEY-TRANSPLANT

CPT 50328: Preparation of Arterial Allograft for Kidney Transplant

CPT-50329-RENAL-ALLOGRAFT-PREPARATION-WITH-ARTERIAL-ANASTOMOSIS

CPT 50329: Renal Allograft Preparation with Arterial Joining

CPT-50340-NEPHRECTOMY-KIDNEY-REMOVAL

CPT 50340: Nephrectomy, Kidney Removal

CPT-50365-KIDNEY-TRANSPLANT-WITH-RECIPIENT-NEPHRECTOMY

CPT 50365: Kidney Transplant with Recipient Nephrectomy

CPT-50370-KIDNEY-ALLOGRAFT-EXPLANTATION-DUE-TO-REJECTION

CPT 50370: Removal of Transplanted Kidney for Rejection

Showing 1–10 of 11

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 — institutional designation varies by payer	Use when no secondary modifier is applicable; payer-specific reporting may require no modifier field.
`11`	Office or other outpatient visit — not typically used for major surgery	Rare for pre- or post-op evaluation when billed separately by the surgeon in an outpatient setting on the same day under payer rules.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work or complexity substantially exceeds typical for a transplant (rare; requires documentation).
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the physician professional component distinct from facility charges, if payer accepts split billing.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Not routinely used for single-organ kidney transplant; reserved if reporting bilateral separate organ procedures (rare).
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when additional procedures are billed during the same operative session (e.g., concomitant vascular procedure) and payer requires modifier reporting.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the transplant procedure is started but substantially reduced or not completed as documented.
`54`	Surgical care only	Use when the surgeon bills only the intraoperative surgical component and another provider bills pre/post-op care.
`55`	Postoperative management only	Use when the surgeon bills only the global period postoperative care for a transplant and another billed the surgery.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons of different specialties work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of the transplant.
`63`	Procedure performed on infants less than 4 kg	Rarely applicable; include only when patient weight criteria met.
`78`	Unplanned return to OR for related procedure during global period	Use when the patient returns to the operating room for a complication related to the transplant.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when a physician assistant surgeon provides assistance and payer requires `80` for the assistant.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist as primary surgeon	Use when an allowed non-physician practitioner performs the transplant as the primary surgeon under state law and payer policy.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`2080S0003X`	Transplant Surgeon	Surgeons specializing in abdominal organ transplantation; commonly perform kidney implants.
`2080P0206X`	Urologist	Urologic surgeons commonly perform ureteroneocystostomy and manage genitourinary aspects of the transplant.
`207SG0200X`	General Surgeon	General surgeons with transplant training participate in vascular anastomosis and operative care.
`207LP2900X`	Nephrology	Nephrologists manage pre- and postoperative medical care, immunosuppression management, and long-term follow-up.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`N18.6`	End stage renal disease	The primary indication for kidney transplantation; patients on dialysis or with irreversible kidney failure.
`N18.5`	Chronic kidney disease, stage 5	Advanced CKD commonly progresses to ESRD and is an indication for transplant evaluation.
`Z94.0`	Kidney transplant status	Used in post-transplant follow-up to denote transplant recipient status.
`T86.10`	Unspecified complication of kidney transplant	Used for complications related to the transplant when specific complications are not coded separately.
`Z48.23`	Encounter for aftercare following kidney transplant	Coded for routine postoperative follow-up visits and management.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`50365`	Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy	Performed when the donor kidney is procured laparoscopically prior to transplant into the recipient.
`50547`	Nephrectomy, partial or total, including renal pedicle — separate code for donor nephrectomy in living donor scenarios when recipient kidney removal is not performed	Used when a donor nephrectomy is performed (living donor) in the same episode but billed separately from the transplant implantation.
`43280`	Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) — example of diagnostic/therapeutic endoscopy not routine for kidney transplant but sometimes performed in complex abdominal surgery settings	Occasionally relevant if simultaneous abdominal procedures require additional endoscopic services; bill separately.
`36556`	Insertion of non-tunneled centrally inserted central venous catheter	Frequently performed perioperatively for administration of immunosuppressants, fluids, and medications.
`50370`	Renal autotransplantation	Related conceptually as another transplant procedure; not performed with cadaveric/living donor transplants but listed for coding context.

Related Codes

CPT-50300-NEPHRECTOMY-KIDNEY-REMOVAL

CPT 50300: Nephrectomy, Kidney Removal

CPT-50320-NEPHRECTOMY-KIDNEY-REMOVAL

CPT 50320: Nephrectomy, Removal of Kidney or Part of Kidney

CPT-50323-CADAVER-DONOR-KIDNEY-BACK-TABLE-PREPARATION

CPT 50323: Cadaver Donor Kidney Back Table Preparation

CPT-50325-DONOR-KIDNEY-BACK-TABLE-PREPARATION

CPT 50325: Living Donor Kidney Back Table Preparation

CPT-50327-RENAL-VEIN-BACKBENCH-RECONSTRUCTION

CPT 50327: Renal Vein Backbench Reconstruction for Kidney Transplantation

CPT-50328-ARTERIAL-ALLOGRAFT-PREPARATION-FOR-KIDNEY-TRANSPLANT

CPT 50328: Preparation of Arterial Allograft for Kidney Transplant

CPT-50329-RENAL-ALLOGRAFT-PREPARATION-WITH-ARTERIAL-ANASTOMOSIS

CPT 50329: Renal Allograft Preparation with Arterial Joining

CPT-50340-NEPHRECTOMY-KIDNEY-REMOVAL

CPT 50340: Nephrectomy, Kidney Removal

CPT-50365-KIDNEY-TRANSPLANT-WITH-RECIPIENT-NEPHRECTOMY

CPT 50365: Kidney Transplant with Recipient Nephrectomy

CPT-50370-KIDNEY-ALLOGRAFT-EXPLANTATION-DUE-TO-REJECTION

CPT 50370: Removal of Transplanted Kidney for Rejection

Showing 1–10 of 11

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 50360: Kidney and Ureter Transplantation

Sign up for cpt 50360 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

Catch payer policy changes before they impact reimbursement

Catch payer policy changes before they impact reimbursement

OpenPayer

CPT 50360: Kidney and Ureter Transplantation

Sign up for cpt 50360 policy alerts

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