Summary & Overview
CPT 50370: Removal of Transplanted Kidney for Rejection
CPT code 50370 designates the surgical removal of a previously transplanted donor kidney from a recipient because of graft rejection. This procedure is clinically significant given the complexity of transplant surgery, the high-acuity setting in which it is performed, and the downstream implications for patient morbidity, infection risk, and potential relisting for transplant. Nationally, management of failed renal allografts affects hospital resource use, surgical specialty workflows, and transplant program reporting.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The publication outlines how coverage and coding practices intersect with clinical documentation and inpatient surgical care for explantation of renal allografts.
Readers will find concise benchmarks and coding context, an overview of payer coverage patterns where available, and clinical context for when CPT code 50370 is used. The piece summarizes typical sites of service, common clinical scenarios prompting explantation, and policy-relevant considerations for billing and hospital service lines. Data not available in the input is identified as such where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 50370 describes the surgical removal of a previously transplanted donor kidney from the recipient due to rejection. This procedure is a surgical explantation of a transplanted renal allograft intended to address graft failure or complications related to rejection.
Service Type: Surgical procedure — organ explantation
Typical Site of Service: Inpatient hospital operating room
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 52-year-old man with a history of end-stage renal disease underwent deceased-donor kidney transplantation three years prior. He now presents with progressive graft dysfunction over weeks, rising serum creatinine, oliguria, fever, and biopsy-confirmed severe acute rejection with cortical necrosis and irreversible allograft injury. After multidisciplinary review, the transplant surgeon schedules explantation of the failed renal allograft due to medical nonviability, ongoing infection risk, and to prepare the patient for return to dialysis and potential re-transplant evaluation. The clinical workflow includes preoperative evaluation (labs, imaging, crossmatch review, and immunosuppression adjustment), informed consent documenting failed graft removal, intraoperative removal of the transplanted kidney via an open or sometimes laparoscopic approach, hemostasis and management of vascular anastomoses, and immediate postoperative monitoring in a PACU or inpatient unit with attention to hemodynamics, fluid status, wound care, and resumption or modification of immunosuppression and dialysis access planning.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00 | No modifier used / default | Rarely appended; indicates no specific modifier applies when billing. |
52 |