CPT code 31290: CSF leak repair, ethmoid region2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in New Mexico

In New Mexico, Medicare pays $987.21 for 31290 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 31290 nationwide

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 31290 covers

An otolaryngologist, often a rhinologist, uses a nasal endoscope to locate and close a cerebrospinal fluid leak involving the ethmoid region of the skull base. The repair may use graft material or a vascularized flap to seal the defect. Typical situations include persistent clear nasal drainage from a spontaneous, traumatic, or prior surgical skull-base opening. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room, commonly in a hospital outpatient or inpatient setting.

Report 31290 when the operative documentation identifies repair of a CSF leak in the ethmoid region; a sinus exploration or ethmoidectomy alone is not this service. The operative report should support the leak site and describe the endoscopic repair. CMS assigns a 10-day global period, which includes related postoperative visits during that period. When related nasal or sinus endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy-family pricing applies. For bilateral procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

How New Mexico compares for 31290

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 31290 runs from $905.22 in Arkansas to $1,271.65 in Alaska. New Mexico pays $987.21. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

31290 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

See 31290 in every payment locality

How the 31290 rate is calculated

Each of 31290’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for 31290

31290 has a 10-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

Codes related to 31290

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

How 31290 has changed in New Mexico

Price 31290 for an earlier date of service

Where the New Mexico rate applies

New Mexico is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 528 cities and communities in New Mexico. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Abeytas
• Abiquiu
• Acomita Lake
• Adelino
• Agua Fria
• Alamillo
• Alamo
• Alamogordo

Browse all communities in New Mexico

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates