CPT 51700 · professional fee

Irrigation of bladder (CPT 51700): negotiated rates by payer and state

What UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield pay for CPT 51700, from their published in-network rate files.

UrologySnapshot Aug 2026Professional fee only

National summary

Commercial in-network, four payers combined, professional fee

Median rate

$77

P10 to P90: $37 to $154

vs Medicare

296%

facility rate $26.05

Payer spread

2.44×

UHC $125 vs Aetna $51

State spread

3.1×

NC $122 to MI $40

4,215 sampled providers4,847 TINs51 statesSample-based · how this is calculated

What the data shows

Generated from this code's own numbers

UnitedHealthcare has the highest median for CPT 51700 in the files analyzed, at $125, 144% above Aetna ($51), the lowest of the 4 payers shown.

The state spread is 3.1×: North Carolina has the highest median at $122 and Michigan the lowest at $40, a gap larger than the gap between the highest and lowest payer.

Commercial rates run 296% of the Medicare facility rate ($26.05), which ranks 1st of 228 tracked codes by commercial-to-Medicare ratio.

Rates are tightest within UnitedHealthcare (interquartile range $54) and widest within Blue Cross Blue Shield ($53).

This is a top-34 code for urology by Medicare allowed dollars, so it carries real revenue weight for that specialty.

The Medicare comparison uses the facility rate: the non-facility rate ($78.16) is 3.0× higher because it includes device or supply cost that professional-fee contracts do not.

Rates by payer

Median of per-provider median rates, with interquartile range

Payer	Median	P25	P75	vs national	Rank	Providers	Position
UnitedHealthcare	$125	$102	$156	+62%	1	3,509	481% of Medicare
Cigna	$66	$51	$95	-14%	2	3,323	255% of Medicare
Blue Cross Blue Shield	$66	$47	$100	-14%	3	3,317	255% of Medicare
Aetna	$51	$39	$68	-34%	4	2,646	197% of Medicare

Rate distribution

Box = P25 to P75, whiskers = P10 to P90, tick = median, dashed line = Medicare facility ($26.05)

Rates by state

Median across payers · 50 states with enough data

Rank	State	Median	vs national	Highest payer	Lowest payer	Providers
1	North Carolina	$122	+58%	BCBS	Aetna	123
2	Alaska	$120	+56%	n/a	n/a	22
3	Wisconsin	$114	+48%	UHC	Aetna	103
4	Hawaii	$100	+30%	UHC	Cigna	28
5	Georgia	$98	+27%	UHC	Aetna	118
6	Washington	$98	+27%	UHC	Cigna	111
7	Nebraska	$94	+22%	UHC	BCBS	50
8	Ohio	$92	+19%	UHC	Aetna	110
9	California	$90	+17%	UHC	Aetna	94
10	Connecticut	$89	+16%	UHC	Aetna	116
11	New York	$88	+14%	UHC	Aetna	114
12	Utah	$87	+13%	UHC	Cigna	76
13	North Dakota	$87	+13%	n/a	n/a	20
14	New Hampshire	$87	+12%	UHC	Aetna	51
15	Mississippi	$87	+12%	BCBS	Cigna	67
16	Minnesota	$87	+12%	UHC	Aetna	111
17	West Virginia	$85	+10%	UHC	Aetna	48
18	District of Columbia	$84	+8%	UHC	BCBS	48
19	Massachusetts	$83	+8%	UHC	BCBS	112
20	New Jersey	$82	+6%	UHC	Aetna	106
21	Pennsylvania	$82	+6%	UHC	Aetna	108
22	Oregon	$81	+5%	UHC	Aetna	101
23	Kentucky	$79	+2%	UHC	Aetna	116
24	Vermont	$75	-3%	UHC	Cigna	30
25	Tennessee	$73	-5%	UHC	Aetna	108
26	Virginia	$73	-5%	UHC	BCBS	104
27	Nevada	$72	-6%	UHC	Aetna	57
28	Iowa	$71	-8%	UHC	BCBS	83
29	South Carolina	$71	-8%	BCBS	Aetna	101
30	South Dakota	$71	-8%	UHC	BCBS	33
31	New Mexico	$69	-10%	UHC	Aetna	33
32	Missouri	$68	-11%	UHC	Aetna	119
33	Arkansas	$68	-13%	UHC	Aetna	66
34	Florida	$66	-14%	UHC	Aetna	112
35	Rhode Island	$66	-14%	UHC	BCBS	40
36	Arizona	$65	-16%	UHC	BCBS	99
37	Louisiana	$65	-16%	UHC	BCBS	103
38	Colorado	$62	-19%	UHC	Aetna	113
39	Texas	$61	-21%	UHC	Aetna	124
40	Illinois	$60	-22%	UHC	Aetna	107
41	Idaho	$59	-24%	UHC	BCBS	45
42	Alabama	$59	-24%	UHC	BCBS	117
43	Oklahoma	$56	-27%	UHC	Aetna	108
43	Maine	$56	-27%	UHC	Aetna	48
45	Maryland	$55	-29%	UHC	BCBS	103
46	Kansas	$55	-29%	UHC	Aetna	93
47	Indiana	$54	-29%	UHC	Aetna	124
48	Delaware	$54	-30%	UHC	Aetna	29
49	Montana	$47	-39%	UHC	BCBS	39
50	Michigan	$40	-49%	UHC	BCBS	112

Frequently asked questions

Answers use this page's data

Which payer has the highest median rate for CPT 51700?

In the files we analyzed, UnitedHealthcare, at a median of $125 across 3,509 sampled providers. Aetna is lowest at $51, 144% lower than the highest.

How does the commercial rate compare with Medicare?

The national median is 296% of the 2026 Medicare facility rate of $26.05.

Which state has the highest median for CPT 51700?

North Carolina has the highest median at $122; Michigan has the lowest at $40.

Is this the surgeon, physician or facility payment?

These are professional (physician) fees only. Facility, device and implant payments are priced separately and are not included.

How current is this data?

It is the August 2026 snapshot of each payer's in-network rate file. Sources and filters are listed in the methodology below.

Methodology

How these numbers are calculated

Source: in-network negotiated-rate files published under the federal Transparency in Coverage rule, August 2026 snapshot: UnitedHealthcare Choice plans (74 files); Aetna commercial plans (70 files); Cigna national PPO (1 files); BCBS licensees' own-network files (5,387 files). Payer comparisons describe these files, not each payer's entire book of business.
Sample: rates come from a random sample of up to 150 providers per state and specialty. Counts on this page are sampled providers and TINs, not totals.
Which providers count: only providers in a specialty relevant to the code, because a rate in a payer file attaches to a provider group and is listed under every provider in that group.
Filters: fee-for-service, professional billing class, no modifier, negotiated or fee-schedule dollar rates. Rates outside 1% to 1,000% of the Medicare rate are excluded.
Statistic: one median rate per provider, then percentiles across providers. A cell is shown only with at least 15 sampled providers and 4 TINs.
Medicare benchmark: CY2026 national physician fee schedule, non-QPP conversion factor, unadjusted for locality. Where the non-facility rate is more than twice the facility rate (office rates that include device or supply cost), the facility rate is used so comparisons are like for like.

See how your contracts compare for CPT 51700

Benchmark your negotiated rates for 51700 and the rest of your book against these payer and state medians.

Request a rate benchmark