CPT code 31291: CSF leak repair, sphenoid region2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Arizona

In Arizona, Medicare pays $1,049.36 for 31291 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 31291 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 31291 covers

This service repairs a cerebrospinal fluid leak in the sphenoid region through a nasal endoscope. An otolaryngologist, rhinologist, or skull-base surgeon typically identifies the leak and closes the defect, often with graft material or a tissue flap. The operation is generally performed in a hospital or ambulatory surgery setting; the operative note should establish the sphenoid site and describe the endoscopic repair rather than sinus surgery for routine inflammatory disease.

Select this code based on the location of the leak, not simply because the surgeon worked in the sphenoid sinus. The record should document the leak site, endoscopic approach, and repair performed. Related endoscopies performed during the same session are subject to endoscopy-family pricing. CMS assigns a 10-day global period, including related postoperative visits during that period. For bilateral reporting, 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 Arizona compares for 31291

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 31291 runs from $972.65 in Arkansas to $1,360.91 in Alaska. Arizona pays $1,049.36. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

31291 rates by state

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

See 31291 in every payment locality

How the 31291 rate is calculated

Each of 31291’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 31291

31291 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 31291

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

How 31291 has changed in Arizona

Price 31291 for an earlier date of service

Where the Arizona rate applies

Arizona is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 467 cities and communities in Arizona. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Aguila
• Ajo
• Ak Chin
• Ak-Chin Village
• Alamo Lake
• Ali Chuk
• Ali Chukson
• Ali Molina

Browse all communities in Arizona

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