CPT
43239 — Upper GI endoscopy with biopsy
High-volume procedure with predictable surprise-bill risk.
Surgery & procedures
49505 — Inguinal hernia repair, age 5+
Open repair of inguinal hernia. Common outpatient surgery.
- Typical setting: Hospital outpatient or ambulatory surgical center
- National avg charge (illustrative): Total bill: $5,000-$18,000.
- Most-disputed reason: Mesh implant cost markup.
What it means
What 49505 actually means
CPT 49505 is open repair of an inguinal hernia in patients age 5 and older. It's a high-volume outpatient surgery.
Common errors with this code
What goes wrong on real bills.
Most bills that look correct still contain at least one of these issues. Up to 49% of medical bills contain errors (CFPB).
- Mesh implant marked up well above wholesale.
- Out-of-network anesthesia.
- Coded as bilateral when only one side was repaired.
If you see 49505 on your bill
Three steps before paying.
1. Get the itemized bill. If your statement only shows a summary, request the CPT-level itemized bill before paying. Generate the request language →
2. Cross-check against the EOB. Compare what your insurer's Explanation of Benefits says you owe versus what the hospital is asking. They disagree more often than people think. Read the bill-vs-EOB guide →
3. Run a free Bill Scan. Upload the bill (and EOB if you have it) and BillBusted will flag the most likely issues with this specific code in your specific state. Run free scan →
Related codes
Other codes in this category.
People who land on 49505 often also see these adjacent codes on the same bill.
CPT
43644 — Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass with small intestine reconstruction
Verify the code matches the actual service and dose.
CPT
45378 — Diagnostic colonoscopy
If your screening colonoscopy turned diagnostic, federal rules limit your cost-share.
CPT
45380 — Colonoscopy, flexible, with biopsy, single or multiple
Verify the code matches the actual service and dose.
Related BillBusted guides
Plain-English reads if you see 49505 on a bill.
49505 FAQ
Plain-English answers.
Don't pay 49505 blindly.
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