~7,500
Median wRVUs / yr
Lap chole to bowel resection — the codes that drive general surgery productivity, with current CMS wRVUs and a tracker built for OR-block + clinic + call-coverage rotations.
Compensation and productivity benchmarks pulled from public physician surveys and the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.
The codes that drive the bulk of general surgery billing, with current Work RVU values from the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Use these as a baseline — locality (GPCI) and modifiers adjust the final payment.
| Code | Description | wRVU | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47562 | Laparoscopic cholecystectomy | 10.47 | Procedure |
| 47563 | Lap chole with cholangiography | 11.47 | Procedure |
| 44970 | Laparoscopic appendectomy | 9.45 | Procedure |
| 49505 | Inguinal hernia repair, open, age 5+ | 7.96 | Procedure |
| 49593 | Repair anterior abdominal hernia, initial, 3-10 cm, reducible | 10.26 | Procedure |
| 44140 | Partial colectomy, open | 22.59 | Procedure |
| 44204 | Laparoscopic partial colectomy | 26.42 | Procedure |
| 19303 | Mastectomy, simple, complete | 15.00 | Procedure |
| 10060 | Incision & drainage, abscess, simple | 1.22 | Procedure |
| 99223 | Initial hospital care, high complexity | 3.50 | E&M |
| 99232 | Subsequent hospital care, moderate | 1.59 | E&M |
| 99238 | Hospital discharge management, 30 min or less | 1.50 | E&M |
Source: 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (CMS). Values reflect the national, unadjusted Work RVU.
Where general surgery productivity falls across the percentile distribution. Most RVU-based contracts target the median (50th percentile); high-volume practices push into the 75th-90th range.
MGMA-aligned 2024 estimates. Verify with your group's data source for contract negotiations.
Typical total compensation ranges across a general surgery career. Numbers blend salary, RVU productivity, and bonus components reported in physician surveys.
First 1-3 years out of training. Base-heavy contracts; productivity bonuses begin to ramp.
Years 4-10. RVU-based comp dominates as case volume settles into a steady pattern.
10+ years, partnership track, ASC ownership, or high-volume practice settings.
Ranges synthesized from Doximity 2024 and AMGA / MGMA-aligned compensation reports. Actual offers vary by region, practice setting, and case mix.
Most RVU tools were built for one type of day. RVU Tracker handles the mix of clinic, procedures, and inpatient work that actually shows up on a general surgery schedule.
Save your most-used codes as quick-add buttons. Log a visit in seconds between patients.
Add multiple codes per encounter; the tracker sums correctly with MPPR awareness when relevant.
Tag clinic vs. procedure days and see productivity per session. Decide where to add capacity.
Every code ships with current Work RVU values. Year-over-year updates roll out automatically.
Set your wRVU threshold. The tracker shows monthly pace and projects year-end totals.
Plug in your conversion factor and see real-time earnings. Compare offers during contract review.
A few high-leverage details that quietly cost RVUs (and revenue) when missed.
If a lap chole (47562) converts to open mid-case, bill the open code (47600) only — not both. Document the indication for conversion clearly in the op note.
Mesh placement (49568) is an add-on, not a stand-alone code. Bill it with the primary hernia repair code; tracking should capture both lines so the wRVU credit reflects both components.
99291 (critical care, first 30-74 min) is time-based. Document precise minutes; 99292 captures additional 30-min increments. Vague 'spent significant time' notes get downcoded by payers.
During a 90-day global, an unrelated visit billed with -24 is allowed. The documentation must explicitly link the visit to a different problem, not post-op recovery.
2026 CMS data pre-loaded for every code. Designed for the cadence of a real general surgery day.