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Billing code 55180 · Physician & professional

55180 Medicaid reimbursement rate by state (2026)

Physician and practitioner services (fee schedule). Medicaid pays a median of $537.28 for 55180 across 48 states, from $9.30 in New Jersey to $1,121.96 in Alaska.

Data as of Oct 5, 202648 statesEvery rate links to its official source

States publishing
48
National median
$537.28units vary by state
Lowest
$9.30New Jersey
Highest
$1,121.96Alaska
Answer

What does Medicaid pay for 55180?

48 state Medicaid programs publish a fee-for-service rate for 55180. The national median is $537.28 (units differ between states). Alaska pays the most, $1,121.96, and New Jersey the least, $9.30 per base unit, a 120.6x spread.

State ranking

55180 rate by state: highest, middle and lowest

One like-for-like fee-for-service rate per state, ranked. The workspace lists all 48 states with every variant, modifier and effective date.

#StateMedicaid rateUnitPer hourManaged-care plans% of Medicare
1Alaska Source · since 2026-07-01$1,121.96——Not classified—
2Alabama Source · since 2026-09-24$1,073.27——Not classified—
3New Mexico Source · since 2025-01-01$993.17——Plans must pay at least this—
24Virginia Source · since 2026-07-01$540.51——Plans negotiate; applies out of network—
25Utah Source · since 2026-07-01$534.04——Plans negotiate; applies out of network—
26Mississippi Source · since 2026-07-01$526.00——Plans must pay at least this—
47Rhode Island Source · since 1993-04-01$65.03——Plans negotiate; applies out of network—
48New Jersey Source · since 2014-07-01$9.30base unit—Not classified—
See all 48 states for 55180 — start free

40 more states, with every modifier and provider-type variant, rate history and the plan rule in each state. 14-day free trial, no credit card.

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Rates are per the unit shown for each state; units can differ between states. Medicare amounts are computed from the CMS relative value file and locality cost indices; states with several Medicare localities show a range. Confirm rates with the payer before billing.

Track 55180 in your states. Get an alert when any state changes it, with every variant and the managed-care rule.
Guide

How to read this table

  • Order. States are listed from the highest published rate to the lowest. No single unit is shared by 8 or more states for 55180, so the order is by published amount and is not a like-for-like rank.
  • Medicaid rate. The most the state's fee-for-service program pays for one unit, as published. 32 of the 48 states list more than one rate for 55180, by modifier, provider type or setting; the table shows the one that matches the provider level and setting used across states, without add-ons.
  • Unit. Of the 48 states, 2 publish 55180 per unit and 1 per base unit, and 45 schedules print no unit at all (a flat amount per service).
  • Per hour. 55180 is not billed in time units in these states, so no hourly figure is shown.
  • Managed-care plans. The rule the state sets for its plans on this rate. What each rule means is explained below.
  • % of Medicare. No Medicare physician fee schedule amount is on file for 55180, so there is no percentage.
  • Source and date. Each Source link opens the state's own document; “since” is the date the rate took effect.
Context

Why 55180 rates differ between states

Published rates for 55180 run from $9.30 in New Jersey to $1,121.96 in Alaska. The two publish it in different units (no unit printed versus base unit), so part of that gap is the unit rather than the price. Half the states pay more than the median of $537.28 and half pay less. The usual reasons for a spread like this in physician & professional rates:

  • Some states pay physician services as a percentage of the Medicare fee schedule; others keep a schedule of their own that may not have been rebased for years.
  • Each state sets its own physician conversion factor or fee for every code, and many update them on a state budget cycle rather than on Medicare's calendar.
  • Primary-care and pediatric add-ons, enhanced rates for certain specialties and targeted increases for access problems change individual codes without moving the rest of the schedule.

Timing matters too. 30 states set the current rate for 55180 in 2026 or later, while 8 states still pay a rate that took effect in 2022 or earlier. A state that has not updated its rate in years will drift down the ranking as others raise theirs.

Managed care

What managed-care plans pay for 55180

What a plan pays for 55180 is negotiated privately, but the state decides how much room there is to negotiate. Here is how the rules break down across the 48 states.

In 11 states, the published rate binds plans: a floor, a pass-through or a state-set rate. In 23 states, plans negotiate and the published rate is a benchmark or out-of-network default. The rule for the remaining 14 states is not classified yet.

  • Plans negotiate; the published rate applies out of network (23 states). In-network rates can be above or below the published rate. The published rate is the benchmark both sides know, and the fallback if no contract is signed.
  • Plans must pay at least the published rate (11 states). The published rate is your floor. Negotiate up from it, and if a plan pays less, the contract provision is the basis for a payment dispute.

Plan-negotiated rates are never estimated here. To see the rule and its citation for a particular state, open that state's managed-care page, for example Alaska managed care.

Billing

Units and billing for 55180

55180 is a CPT surgery code in the physician & professional line, billed mostly by physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other licensed practitioners. Surgical codes are paid once per procedure. The fee can include a global period of related care before and after the procedure, and modifiers for multiple, bilateral or assistant procedures raise or reduce what is actually paid.

Physician-fee-schedule codes are billed per service: one unit is one occurrence unless the code itself is defined by time or quantity. Where a state publishes separate facility and non-facility amounts, the non-facility (office) amount is usually higher because the practice carries the overhead.

Before billing, confirm the rate, unit and any modifier with the state's current schedule or the plan: the amounts here are as published, not a guarantee of payment.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What does Medicaid pay for 55180?

It depends on the state. Of the 48 states with a published fee-for-service rate, the median is $537.28. Alaska pays the most ($1,121.96) and New Jersey the least ($9.30 per base unit).

Which state pays the highest Medicaid rate for 55180?

Alaska, at $1,121.96, effective 2026-07-01.

Which state pays the lowest Medicaid rate for 55180?

New Jersey, at $9.30 per base unit, effective 2014-07-01. It publishes the code in a different unit from Alaska, so compare per unit with care.

What unit is 55180 billed in?

Of the 48 states, 2 publish 55180 per unit and 1 per base unit, and 45 schedules print no unit at all (a flat amount per service).

Do managed-care plans pay the same rate for 55180?

Not necessarily. In 11 states, the published rate binds plans: a floor, a pass-through or a state-set rate. In 23 states, plans negotiate and the published rate is a benchmark or out-of-network default. The rule for the remaining 14 states is not classified yet. Each rule is cited to the plan contract, statute or notice in the workspace.