General Surgery CPT Codes in the Ambulatory Surgery Center
General surgery covers a broad set of same-day procedures on the digestive tract, the abdominal wall, the skin and soft tissue, and the breast. Many cases that once required an inpatient stay are now done routinely in an ASC. Common examples include laparoscopic cholecystectomy (47562) and laparoscopic appendectomy (44970). The CPT codes fall mainly in the 10000 to 49999 range, spanning the integumentary and digestive systems.
Whether Medicare pays for a given code in an ASC depends on how CMS classifies it. Codes on Addendum AA are on the ASC Covered Procedures List, meaning Medicare pays them when furnished in an ASC, while codes on Addendum EE are excluded from ASC payment. Because general surgery is so high in volume, coders should confirm the current addendum status and any payer-specific rules before scheduling.
General Surgery codes(1–60 of 4,140)
- 49505Prp i/hern init reduc >5 yr
- 47562Laparoscopic cholecystectomy
- 44970Laparoscopy appendectomy
- 49650Lap ing hernia repair init
- 10004Fna bx w/o img gdn ea addl
- 10005Fna bx w/us gdn 1st les
- 10006Fna bx w/us gdn ea addl
- 10007Fna bx w/fluor gdn 1st les
- 10008Fna bx w/fluor gdn ea addl
- 10009Fna bx w/ct gdn 1st les
- 10010Fna bx w/ct gdn ea addl
- 10011Fna bx w/mr gdn 1st les
- 10012Fna bx w/mr gdn ea addl
- 10021Fna bx w/o img gdn 1st les
- 10030Img gid flu coll drg sft tis
- 10035Plmt sft tiss loclzj dev 1st
- 10036Plmt sft tiss loclzj dev ea
- 10040Extraction
- 10060I&d abscess simple/single
- 10061I&d abscess comp/multiple
- 10080I&d pilonidal cyst simple
- 10081I&d pilonidal cyst comp
- 10120Inc&rmvl fb subq tiss smpl
- 10121Inc&rmvl fb subq tiss comp
- 10140I&d hmtma seroma/fluid collj
- 10160Pnxr aspir absc hmtma bulla
- 10180I&d complex po wound infctj
- 11000Dbrdmt ecz/infected skin<10%
- 11001Dbrdmt ecz/infct skn ea addl
- 11004Dbrdmt skin xtrnl gent&per
- 11005Dbrdmt skin abdominal wall
- 11006Dbrdmt skin xtrnl gent per
- 11008Rmv prstc mtrl/mesh abd wall
- 11010Debride skin at fx site
- 11011Debride skin musc at fx site
- 11012Deb skin bone at fx site
- 11042Dbrdmt subq tis 1st 20sqcm/<
- 11043Dbrdmt musc&/fsca 1st 20/<
- 11044Dbrdmt bone 1st 20 sq cm/<
- 11045Dbrdmt subq tiss each addl
- 11046Dbrdmt musc&/fsca ea addl
- 11047Dbrdmt bone each addl
- 11055Paring/cutg b9 hyprker les 1
- 11056Parng/cutg b9 hyprkr les 2-4
- 11057Parng/cutg b9 hyprkr les >4
- 11102Tangntl bx skin single les
- 11103Tangntl bx skin ea sep/addl
- 11104Punch bx skin single lesion
- 11105Punch bx skin ea sep/addl
- 11106Incal bx skn single les
- 11107Incal bx skn ea sep/addl
- 11200Rmvl skin tags up to&inc 15
- 11201Rmvl skin tags ea addl 10
- 11300Shave skin lesion 0.5 cm/<
- 11301Shave skin lesion 0.6-1.0 cm
- 11302Shave skin lesion 1.1-2.0 cm
- 11303Shave skin lesion >2.0 cm
- 11305Shave skin lesion 0.5 cm/<
- 11306Shave skin lesion 0.6-1.0 cm
- 11307Shave skin lesion 1.1-2.0 cm
Are general surgery procedures done in an ambulatory surgery center?
Yes. Many general surgery procedures are routinely performed in ASCs as same-day outpatient cases, with the patient discharged home the same day. Common examples include laparoscopic cholecystectomy (47562), laparoscopic appendectomy (44970), and inguinal hernia repair (49505). Whether Medicare pays a specific code in an ASC depends on whether it appears on the ASC Covered Procedures List (CMS Addendum AA).
What CPT codes does general surgery use?
General surgery codes fall mostly in the 10000 to 49999 range. This spans integumentary procedures like biopsies and excisions, soft-tissue work, and digestive system operations such as hernia repairs, cholecystectomy, and appendectomy. Examples include fine needle aspiration biopsy (10004) and initial reducible inguinal hernia repair (49505). Our dataset maps several thousand ASC-relevant CPT codes to general surgery.
Which place of service is used for general surgery in an ASC?
General surgery cases furnished in a freestanding ambulatory surgical center are billed with place of service 24. Beyond the place of service, coverage and reimbursement also turn on the procedure's CMS addendum status and any payer prior-authorization or documentation rules. DataLily's procedure library tracks CPT-specific prior-authorization and documentation requirements so teams can confirm these before the date of service.