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CPT code 31600: Tracheostomy, planned, age two or older2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports planned surgical creation of a tracheal airway for a patient age two or older, rather than an emergency airway procedure.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities16K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $273.22 for 31600 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 31600

Tracheostomy, planned, age two or older

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
5.42
Total RVUs
8.18
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$273.22

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 31600 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 31600 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 31600 covers

This service creates an airway through the front of the neck into the trachea and places a tracheostomy tube. It is performed by a surgeon, commonly an otolaryngologist, general surgeon, or thoracic surgeon, in an operating room or another controlled setting. Typical situations include anticipated prolonged ventilatory support, upper-airway obstruction, or airway access needed for planned treatment.

Select this code for a planned procedure in a patient age two or older; the patient’s age and whether the airway was created electively or in an emergency distinguish it from nearby tracheostomy codes. The operative report should support the indication, planned approach, tracheal opening, and tube placement. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; 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 31600 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

31600 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$250.65
AlaskaUnavailable$351.36
ArizonaUnavailable$266.32
ArkansasUnavailable$247.93
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$281.85
Austin, TXUnavailable$272.78
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$268.10
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$288.71
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$265.60
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$266.30

31600 rates by state

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

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Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
31600 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 31600 rate is calculated

Each of 31600’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 · 31600

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work5.42

5.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense1.69

1.69 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.07

1.07 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

8.1800

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$273.22

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 31600

The CMS indicators that decide how 31600 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 31600

Tracheostomy, planned, age two or older

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

31600 without 51 · national facility

$273.22

Tracheostomy, planned, age two or older

31600-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$136.61

When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).

When to use modifier 51

31600 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 31600

    Tracheostomy, planned, age two or older5.42 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 31601

    Tracheostomy, planned, under age two7.8 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 31603

    Emergency tracheostomy, open tracheal airway5.85 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 31605

    Emergency airway, transtracheal access6.29 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

31601TracheostomyPlanned, under age two
Choose 31601 for a planned tracheostomy in a patient younger than two years. Code 31600 is for patients age two or older.
31603Emergency tracheostomyOpen tracheal airway
Choose 31603 for emergency tracheostomy through the trachea. Code 31600 describes a planned procedure.
31605Emergency airwayTranstracheal access
Choose 31605 for emergency airway access through the cricothyroid membrane. Code 31600 is a planned tracheostomy through the trachea.

Codes related to 31600

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

Codes related to 31600
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
31601Tracheostomy, planned, under age twoPlanned surgical tracheostomy for a patient younger than two years.No office rate
Used instead
31603Emergency tracheostomy, open tracheal airwayEmergency tracheostomy through the trachea rather than a planned procedure.No office rate
31605Emergency airway, transtracheal accessEmergency airway access through the cricothyroid membrane.No office rate

31600 billing questions

How does this code differ from 31601?

Both describe planned surgical tracheostomy, but 31600 is for patients age two or older. Code 31601 is for patients younger than two.

When should an emergency tracheostomy code be used instead?

Use an emergency code when the airway is created urgently rather than as a planned procedure. Code 31603 describes an emergency tracheostomy through the trachea; 31605 describes an emergency airway through the cricothyroid membrane.

Is the tracheostomy tube placement included?

Yes. Placement of the tube through the surgically created tracheal opening is part of the service.

Can an assistant surgeon be billed for this procedure?

Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 31600. Co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are also not permitted for this code.

How does the multiple-procedure reduction affect 31600?

When it is performed with other procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50%.

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

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 31600PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,620 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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