CPT 47562: Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal (Cholecystectomy)
47562 reports taking out the gallbladder through the laparoscope when no bile duct imaging or duct exploration is done. It carries a 090-day global, so the decision visit is the only pre-operative visit paid separately, and a case that converts to open is billed as the open code alone.
Written by Salman Saeed, CEO and Co-Founder · Reviewed by a Certified Medical Coder · Last reviewed October 2026In short: 47562 is the plain laparoscopic cholecystectomy. It has a 090 global, an absolute MUE of 1, an assistant that may be paid and a co-surgeon that needs documentation. The cholangiogram and duct exploration versions are separate codes, and diagnostic laparoscopy and adhesiolysis are bundled.
What Does CPT 47562 Report?
CPT 47562 reports a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, removal of the gallbladder through small abdominal incisions with a camera. CMS prints its label as "Laparoscopic cholecystectomy". The code stands for the plain operation, and the CMS labels for its neighbors show where the extra work goes: one adds a cholangiogram and one adds duct exploration.
| Item | Value in RVU26D (October 2026) and the Q4 2026 MUE file |
|---|---|
| Payment status | A (active; paid separately under the fee schedule if covered) |
| Global period | 090, split 9% pre-operative, 81% intra-operative, 10% post-operative |
| Multiple procedure and bilateral | Multiple procedure 2 (standard reduction); bilateral 0 |
| Assistant, co-surgeon, team | Assistant 2 (may be paid); co-surgeon 1 (documentation required); team 0 |
| Work RVU and total | 10.21 work; 18.92 total in the facility setting; non-facility is NA |
| NCCI MUE | 1 per date, MAI 2, basis anatomic consideration, practitioner and outpatient hospital |
NA in the non-facility column means the file has no office price: this is a hospital or surgery center service.
Which Gallbladder Code Do I Report: 47562, 47563 or 47564?
Report the one code that matches what the surgeon did, never two.
| Code | CMS short label | Work RVU | Global |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47562 | Laparoscopic cholecystectomy | 10.21 | 090 |
| 47563 | Laparo cholecystectomy/graph | 11.18 | 090 |
| 47564 | Laparo cholecystectomy/explr | 17.55 | 090 |
| 47600 | Cholecystectomy | 17.04 | 090 |
| 47605 | Cholecystectomy w/cholang | 18.02 | 090 |
NCCI chapter VI, section F, says that if a laparoscopic procedure is converted to open, only the open procedure is reported. Neither a surgical nor a diagnostic laparoscopy code is added to the open code, so a converted gallbladder case is 47600 or 47605, not 47562.
What Is Bundled into a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy?
- Diagnostic laparoscopy, including fluid washing, which is not billed as paracentesis or lavage.
- Fluoroscopy 76000, which is integral to laparoscopic procedures.
- Laparoscopic lysis of adhesions (44180).
- An incidental appendectomy of a normal appendix; 44970 can be added when a diseased appendix is removed.
- A hernia repair at the incision site; a necessary repair at another site is reportable.
- Venous access, infusion and surgeon-provided anesthesia.
NCCI chapter VI says a hepatectomy and a Whipple-type pancreatectomy include removal of the gallbladder, so no cholecystectomy code is added to either. The items above are all bundled with 47562 under that chapter.
Which Visits Are Paid Inside the 090 Global?
The surgeon's decision visit is paid; later related visits are not. Chapter 12 section 40.2 says an evaluation and management visit on the day before or the day of major surgery that results in the decision to operate is billed with modifier 57, and section 40.1 puts pre-operative visits after that decision and related follow-up for 90 days in the package.
| Situation | Billing |
|---|---|
| Emergency surgeon sees acute cholecystitis and books surgery for the next morning | Visit with 57 on the day it was decided |
| Bile leak or bleeding needs another operation in the first weeks | The new procedure code with 78 |
| Planned second procedure in the 90 days | 58; a new global begins |
| Unrelated surgery by the same surgeon | 79; a new global begins |
Can an Assistant or a Co-Surgeon Bill with 47562?
An assistant can; a co-surgeon can with extra paperwork. Assistant indicator 2 means assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed, and chapter 12 section 20.4.3 sets the fee at 16 percent of the surgical amount, billed with modifier 80, 81, 82 or AS. Co-surgeon indicator 1 means two surgeons of different specialties could be paid if the records establish why two were needed, and section 40.8 prices each at 62.5 percent. Team surgery (modifier 66) is indicator 0.
How Does 47562 Appear on the Claim?
On the CMS-1500, Item 24B holds place of service 21, 22 or 24, Item 24D holds 47562 with any modifiers, and Item 24G holds 1. The MUE of 1 has indicator 2, an absolute date-of-service edit that cannot be overridden in processing, reopening or redetermination, so a second unit is not a fixable denial.
A hospital outpatient claim on the UB-04 puts the HCPCS code in FL 44 and the units in FL 46, under an operating room revenue code such as 0360. Payment on that claim follows the outpatient payment system, not this file.
Which Fields Carry 47562 on Professional and Facility Forms?
A laparoscopic gallbladder removal is one line with 47562 in Item 24D, 1 unit in Item 24G and a pointer in Item 24E to the gallbladder diagnosis. RVU26D shows a 090 global, an assistant indicator of 2 and a co-surgeon indicator of 1, so an assistant may be paid and co-surgeons need documentation.
For an outpatient hospital claim, the operating room revenue code is in FL 42, 47562 in FL 44, the date in FL 45 and 1 in FL 46. An inpatient stay uses FL 74 for the principal procedure and date, which Chapter 25 says outpatient claims do not use.
The MUE table allows 1 per date with indicator 2.
Example: A patient with gallstones has the surgery on 10/09. The surgeon's line is 47562, pointer A (K80.20), 1 unit, $1,980.00. A visit within the 90-day period needs a modifier and a reason unrelated to the surgery.
Why Do 47562 Claims Deny?
| CARC | What X12 says | What usually triggers it on a gallbladder case |
|---|---|---|
| 97 | The benefit for this service is included in the payment/allowance for another service/procedure that has already been adjudicated | 44180, 76000 or a diagnostic laparoscopy billed alongside |
| 4 | The procedure code is inconsistent with the modifier used | Decision visit without 57, or 57 on a visit two days earlier |
| 151 | Payment adjusted because the payer deems the information submitted does not support this many/frequency of services | Two units, or 47562 plus 47563 on one date |
| 54 | Multiple physicians/assistants are not covered in this case | Assistant billed on a payer or case that does not allow one |
If these denials keep coming back, our denial management team can work them.
Related Codes
- Physician Fee Schedule relative value files, RVU26D (October 2026) · CMS
- Medicare NCCI Medically Unlikely Edits, practitioner and outpatient hospital tables effective 10-01-2026 · CMS
- NCCI Policy Manual for Medicare Services, 2026 · CMS
- Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 12: Physicians/Nonphysician Practitioners · CMS
- Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 26: Completing and Processing Form CMS-1500 Data Set · CMS
- Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 25: Completing and Processing the Form CMS-1450 Data Set · CMS
- Claim Adjustment Reason Codes · X12
We check every rule, code and deadline against the official source. See our editorial policy.
Common Questions
Straight answers from the team that does the work.
Ask a billing lead directly. A 20-minute call, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Eastern.
01How do I bill a laparoscopic cholecystectomy?
Report 47562 once, with 1 unit, for the plain operation. Use 47563 if a cholangiogram was done and 47564 if the bile duct was explored. Add a separate decision visit with modifier 57 only if the surgeon first decided on surgery on the day before or the day of.
02How do I bill a laparoscopic case that converts to open?
Bill the open code only, 47600 or 47605. NCCI Policy Manual chapter VI, section F, says that when a laparoscopic procedure converts to open, neither a surgical nor a diagnostic laparoscopy code is reported with the open procedure code. The operative note should record the conversion.
03Can I bill laparoscopic adhesiolysis with 47562?
No. NCCI chapter VI says laparoscopic lysis of adhesions (44180) is not separately reportable with other surgical laparoscopic procedures. Extensive, time-consuming enterolysis is handled differently: modifier 22 goes on the main procedure and the local MAC decides whether to pay more.
04Is a normal appendix removal billed with the gallbladder?
No. NCCI chapter VI says an incidental appendectomy of a normal appendix is not reportable with another laparoscopic procedure. A diseased appendix removed in the same session can be reported with 44970, supported by the pathology and the operative note.
05Can two surgeons bill 47562?
Possibly. The co-surgeon indicator is 1, so two surgeons of different specialties could be paid, but the records must establish that two were needed. Each bills with modifier 62 and chapter 12 section 40.8 pays each 62.5 percent of the fee. An assistant is a separate arrangement.
Gallbladder Claims Denying Inside the Global?
We check modifier 57, the conversion rule and the bundled adhesiolysis line against the operative note before the claim is sent.