CPT code 31500: Emergency intubation, emergency airway placement2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Report emergency endotracheal intubation when a clinician places a breathing tube to establish or secure an airway during an acute crisis.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 31500 in Missouri.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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What 31500 covers
This service covers urgent placement of an endotracheal tube to establish or secure a patient’s airway, commonly during respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, or another acute emergency. Emergency physicians, anesthesiologists, intensivists, and other qualified clinicians may perform it in an emergency department, hospital, or other setting where immediate airway support is needed. The service is distinct from examining the larynx or changing an existing tracheostomy tube.
Report the procedure when the record supports that emergency endotracheal intubation was performed; document the clinical need and the airway procedure. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. Modifier 50 is inappropriate because the service is not bilateral. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code, and 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.
Where 31500 pays more and less in Missouri
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Kansas City, MO | Unavailable | $131.41 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | Unavailable | $132.05 |
| Rest of Missouri | Unavailable | $129.89 |
How the 31500 rate is calculated
Each of 31500’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.
How the rate is built · 31500
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work2.93
2.93 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.57
0.57 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.48
0.48 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
3.9800
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$132.94
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 31500
The CMS indicators that decide how 31500 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 31500
Emergency intubation, emergency airway placement
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
31500 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 31603Emergency tracheostomyOpen tracheal airway
- 31603 describes emergency surgical tracheostomy for airway access. Use 31500 when the emergency airway is established by endotracheal tube placement.
- 31502Tracheostomy exchangeBefore tract maturation
- 31502 is for changing an existing tracheostomy tube; 31500 is for emergency endotracheal intubation.
- 31505LaryngoscopyIndirect, diagnostic
- 31505 is a diagnostic laryngoscopy. It does not represent emergency endotracheal tube placement.
31500 billing questions
When should 31500 be reported instead of a laryngoscopy code?
Report 31500 for emergency placement of an endotracheal tube to establish or secure the airway. A laryngoscopy code describes examination or treatment involving the larynx, not emergency tube placement.
Is same-day evaluation and management included?
CMS assigns 31500 a 0-day global period, which includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. The procedure itself should be supported by the record.
Should modifier 50 be appended?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this service.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 31500. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
Can 31500 be reported during a cardiac-arrest resuscitation?
Yes, when emergency endotracheal intubation is performed during the resuscitation. Document the airway intervention separately from the resuscitation service.
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
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