Summary & Overview
CPT 50546: Laparoscopic Nephrectomy with Partial Ureterectomy
CPT code 50546 identifies a laparoscopic procedure to remove a kidney and part of the ureter. This surgical technique is widely used for conditions requiring renal removal with ureteral resection, including complex neoplastic or nonfunctional renal disease. The code matters nationally because nephrectomy procedures account for substantial surgical volume, influence hospital operating room utilization, and affect physician and facility billing patterns.
Key payers relevant to national reimbursement and policy discussions include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of clinical context for laparoscopic nephrectomy with partial ureterectomy, typical sites of service, and common billing considerations. The publication summarizes benchmark payment patterns, common modifier usage, and how this procedure is grouped in surgical service lines. It also highlights areas where coding clarity affects payment — for example, defining the laparoscopic approach and scope of ureteral resection.
This summary prepares clinicians, coding professionals, and policy analysts to understand where 50546 fits in surgical practice and payer coverage frameworks, what metrics and benchmarks to expect, and what policy or billing updates may influence future use. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 50546 describes a laparoscopic nephrectomy with partial ureterectomy, in which the provider uses a minimally invasive surgical approach to remove a kidney and a portion of the ureter. This procedure is a surgical service typically performed in an operating room setting, most often at an inpatient hospital or ambulatory surgical center depending on clinical indication and patient status.
Service type: Surgical — Laparoscopic renal and ureteral resection
Typical site of service: Inpatient hospital or ambulatory surgery center (operating room)
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is a 58-year-old adult presenting with flank pain, hematuria, and imaging-confirmed nonfunctioning or diseased kidney due to chronic infection, obstructive uropathy, renal mass, or severe calculous disease. After evaluation by a urologist including history, physical exam, urinalysis, renal function testing, and cross-sectional imaging (CT or MRI), the patient is scheduled for a laparoscopic nephrectomy with partial ureterectomy under general anesthesia. The preoperative workflow includes informed consent, optimization of comorbid conditions, anesthesia evaluation, and review of imaging to plan port placement and approach. Intraoperative steps include laparoscopic access, mobilization of the kidney, ligation of the renal hilum, division of the ureter distally as indicated, specimen extraction (often via an extension of a port site or a small incision), hemostasis, and placement of drains if required. Postoperative care includes pain control, monitoring of renal function, assessment for complications (bleeding, infection, urine leak), and discharge planning with follow-up for pathology if a neoplasm was resected.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00 | No modifier (standard reporting) | Use when no additional modifier applies and the procedure is billed as primary. |
11 |