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CPT 48001 — Placement of drain pancreas

CPT code 48001 (Placement of drain pancreas) carries 38.7 work RVUs under the CMS 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Total RVUs are 63.73 in a non-facility setting and 63.73 in a facility setting, which at the 2026 conversion factor of $33.40 works out to $2,128.64 and $2,128.64 respectively.

38.7
Work RVU
63.73
Total RVU (non-facility)
$2,128.64
Medicare, non-facility
$2,128.64
Medicare, facility
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RVU breakdown for CPT 48001

ComponentRVUsWhat it covers
Work RVU38.7Physician time, skill, effort, and stress.
Practice expense RVU (non-facility)14.66Office overhead, staff, supplies.
Practice expense RVU (facility)0.0Overhead when performed in a hospital.
Malpractice RVU10.37Professional liability cost.
Total RVU (non-facility)63.73Work + non-facility PE + malpractice.
Total RVU (facility)63.73Work + facility PE + malpractice.

How Medicare payment is calculated

Medicare multiplies total RVUs by the annual conversion factor. For CPT 48001 in 2026:

SettingTotal RVUConversion factorNational payment
Non-facility63.73$33.40$2,128.64
Facility63.73$33.40$2,128.64

These are national amounts. Actual payment is adjusted by the Geographic Practice Cost Index for your locality — check yours with the GPCI lookup.

Billing rules for CPT 48001

Global period
90-day global — major surgery; 90 days of follow-up care included.
Multiple procedure reduction
Subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction (100%/50%/50%…).
Bilateral surgery
Bilateral adjustment does not apply.
Assistant surgeon
Permitted.
Co-surgeon
Not permitted.
Team surgery
Not permitted unless documentation supports medical necessity.

Questions about CPT 48001

How many work RVUs is CPT 48001?

CPT 48001 is assigned 38.7 work RVUs in the CMS 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

What does Medicare pay for CPT 48001?

At the 2026 national conversion factor of $33.40, CPT 48001 pays approximately $2,128.64 in a non-facility setting and $2,128.64 in a facility setting before geographic adjustment.

What is the global period for CPT 48001?

90-day global — major surgery; 90 days of follow-up care included.

RVU values reflect the CMS 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (conversion factor $33.40). Payment figures are national and unadjusted for geography. Verify against the official fee schedule before using for billing.