59514 Delivery

CPT 59514

CPT 59514: Cesarean Delivery OnlyCesarean Delivery Only

2027 change This code is scheduled for deletion on January 1, 2027, when CPT unbundles the global maternity package. Current rules apply through 2026 dates of service. See what replaces it →

The short answer

Use 59514 when your practice performs the cesarean delivery but neither the antepartum package nor the postpartum care. It fits the surgeon covering a delivery for another practice's patient, or a cesarean on a patient who transferred in at the very end of pregnancy and returns elsewhere for follow-up. If you will also see the patient postpartum, bill 59515. If your practice provided the full span of care, the global code 59510 applies instead.

Source: CMSSource: ACOGSource: CMS MPFS 2026

When to use 59514

Report 59514 for the surgical event: admission for delivery, the cesarean, and the immediate operative care. It is a component code, which means it exists for split care. Pair it with 59425 or 59426 when your practice also provided 4 or more antepartum visits but hands postpartum care to someone else; bill 1 to 3 antepartum visits as individual E/M services. If the cesarean followed a trial of labor after a prior cesarean, use the attempted-VBAC version 59620 instead, and if the postpartum care is yours too, move up to 59515 or the global code.

Documentation checklist

The record needs to establish the surgery and explain why the rest of the package is not on the claim.

✓ Operative note with date, indication, and technique

✓ Reason for component billing: transfer date, coverage arrangement, or referral for delivery only

✓ Prior cesarean and labor-trial history, which would move the code to 59620

✓ Antepartum visit count at your practice, if any, supporting a paired antepartum code

✓ Practice assuming postpartum care identified

✓ Assistant surgeon documented when one will bill

Global package rules

59514 is the surgical component of 59510. Everything the global package treats as separately billable stays separately billable here: ultrasounds, non-stress tests, labs, and problem E/M visits with their own diagnoses. The line to watch is postpartum care: routine follow-up is not inside 59514, so whoever provides it bills it, but if that is you, the postpartum-inclusive code 59515 beats billing follow-up piecemeal. See The Global OB Package, explained. ACOG

Reimbursement

2026 · national Medicare averages

Component	Work RVU	Total RVU	2026 rate
59514Delivery only	16.13	24.66	$823.67

National amounts under the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (non-facility total RVU x $33.4009 conversion factor, no locality/MAC adjustment). Commercial and Medicaid rates differ. Verify current values with your MAC before billing.

Common denials

CO-97 Component billed with a global code

Why it happens

The same practice submitted 59514 alongside 59510 for one pregnancy, and the payer bundled the surgery into the package.

How to fix

One structure per pregnancy. Remove the component line if the global code applies, or drop the global code if care actually split.

Source: NCCI

CO-50 Payer expected global or postpartum-inclusive billing

Why it happens

Claims history showed your practice providing antepartum or postpartum care, making delivery-only billing look understated or mismatched.

How to fix

Match the code to the span you actually covered: 59515 if postpartum is yours, 59510 if the whole pregnancy was. Appeal with the transfer documentation when the split is real.

Source: ACOG

CO-119 Delivery already paid inside another claim

Why it happens

The transferring practice billed a global code instead of antepartum-only codes, so the payer considers the cesarean paid.

How to fix

Have the other practice correct to 59425 or 59426, then resubmit the surgical claim with the transfer date documented.

Source: CMS

CO-54 Assistant surgeon line denied

Why it happens

The assistant's claim lacked modifier 80 or 82, or the payer restricts assistant coverage for cesarean delivery.

How to fix

Resubmit with the correct assistant modifier and the operative note naming the assistant and their role.

Source: CMS

CO-16 Missing surgical details

Why it happens

The claim lacked the delivery date as the date of service or carried inconsistent provider identifiers.

How to fix

Resubmit with the delivery date, the rendering surgeon's NPI, and one billing entity.

Source: CMS

FAQ

What is the CPT code description for 59514?

In plain language, 59514 covers the cesarean delivery by itself: the surgery and its immediate operative care, without the antepartum visits before or the postpartum care after.

Who typically bills 59514?

A surgeon covering another practice's patient, a hospitalist OB performing an urgent cesarean, or a practice that received a transfer just before delivery and will not provide follow-up.

Can I bill 59514 with antepartum codes?

Yes. If your practice provided 4 or more antepartum visits and the cesarean, but not postpartum care, bill 59425 or 59426 for the visits alongside 59514.

What if the cesarean followed an attempted VBAC?

Use 59620, the attempted-VBAC equivalent. The labor trial after a prior cesarean is what separates the two, and it should be explicit in the record.

Does 59514 include the hospital stay after surgery?

The routine inpatient recovery tied to the delivery is generally included in the surgical service. Outpatient postpartum visits are not; those belong to 59515 or to whoever provides them.

CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Educational reference only, not billing, legal, or medical advice. Maintained by Ouma Health, a maternal-fetal telemedicine practice. Printed from obcodingguide.com, content current as of July 2026.