Summary & Overview
CPT 50782: Ureteral Reimplantation for Duplicated Ureter Repair
CPT code 50782 represents ureteral reimplantation for repair of a duplicated ureter, wherein the surgeon detaches the ureter, removes any diseased portion, and reattaches the healthy segment to the bladder. This reconstructive urologic procedure addresses congenital anomalies that can cause urinary dysfunction, infection, or abnormal drainage patterns and is significant for surgical practice, coding accuracy, and payer coverage decisions nationwide. Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical description, typical sites of service, common billing modifiers, and the payer landscape relevant to reimbursement and prior authorization practices. The publication outlines coding context and billing considerations that affect claim submission, clinical documentation needs, and utilization oversight. It also summarizes where to expect inpatient versus outpatient management based on procedure complexity. Data not provided in the input—such as specific ICD-10 pairings, claim benchmarks, and associated taxonomies—is noted as unavailable and therefore omitted. The content is intended to support coding professionals, urology practices, and payers in understanding the clinical purpose and billing context of CPT code 50782 without making clinical or administrative recommendations.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 50782 describes a surgical repair in which the provider detaches one end of a ureter, excises any diseased segment, and reimplants the remaining ureteral segment into the urinary bladder. This procedure is typically performed to correct a duplicated ureter, a congenital anomaly in which two ureters arise from a single kidney or where one ureter drains abnormally into structures such as the vagina or urethra.
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Service type: Reconstructive urologic surgery to repair and reimplant the ureter
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Typical site of service: Operating room or ambulatory surgery center; inpatient or outpatient surgical settings depending on patient complexity and institutional practice
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is a pediatric or young adult with symptomatic duplicated ureter anatomy presenting with recurrent urinary tract infections, continuous urinary incontinence, flank pain, or hydronephrosis noted on imaging. Example: a 6-year-old female with persistent daytime urinary leakage and recurrent febrile UTIs undergoes renal ultrasound and voiding cystourethrogram demonstrating a duplicated collecting system with ectopic insertion of the upper pole ureter and associated recurrent infections and scarring. After preoperative evaluation by pediatric urology, cystoscopy and retrograde pyelography confirm the anatomy. In the operating room under general anesthesia, the surgeon performs ureteral reimplantation of the affected ureteral limb: the ureter is detached, any diseased or obstructed segment excised, and the remaining ureter reimplanted into the bladder with creation of a submucosal tunnel to prevent reflux. Typical perioperative workflow includes preop imaging and labs, intraoperative cystoscopy or ureteral catheterization as indicated, reimplantation with or without ureteral stent placement, postoperative monitoring for urine output and signs of obstruction or infection, and outpatient follow-up with renal imaging and urinalysis. Typical site of service is an inpatient or outpatient hospital surgical suite or ambulatory surgical center depending on patient age, comorbidities, and facility capabilities. Service type: reconstructive urologic surgery for correction of congenital duplicated ureter anatomy.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 |