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

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 31600 in California.

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

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 in California

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

29 of 29 payment localities

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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 31600

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

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

31600 compared with similar codes

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.

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