CPT code 31601: Tracheostomy, planned, under age two2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Reports a planned surgical airway created by opening the trachea and placing a tracheostomy tube in a child younger than two years.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 31601 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.
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On this page 9 sections
What 31601 covers
The surgeon creates a surgical airway by opening the trachea and placing a tracheostomy tube in a child younger than two years. Pediatric otolaryngologists, pediatric surgeons, or other surgeons qualified to perform airway procedures may provide it, commonly in an operating room when a child needs a durable airway for prolonged ventilation or airway obstruction. The planned nature and the child’s age distinguish this service from emergency airway procedures and planned tracheostomy in older patients.
Report the code when the operative record supports a planned tracheostomy and documents the patient’s age and the procedure performed. It has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When performed with other procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 31601 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
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | Unavailable | $377.26 |
| Chico, CA | Unavailable | $373.96 |
| El Centro, CA | Unavailable | $374.15 |
| Fresno, CA | Unavailable | $373.96 |
| Hanford, CA | Unavailable | $373.96 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Unavailable | $392.11 |
| Madera, CA | Unavailable | $373.96 |
| Marin County, CA | Unavailable | $416.72 |
| Merced, CA | Unavailable | $373.96 |
| Modesto, CA | Unavailable | $373.96 |
| Napa, CA | Unavailable | $402.82 |
| Oxnard, CA | Unavailable | $387.09 |
| Redding, CA | Unavailable | $373.96 |
| Rest of California | Unavailable | $373.96 |
| Riverside, CA | Unavailable | $386.29 |
| Sacramento, CA | Unavailable | $384.32 |
| Salinas, CA | Unavailable | $382.69 |
| San Benito County, CA | Unavailable | $426.15 |
| San Diego, CA | Unavailable | $385.65 |
| San Francisco, CA | Unavailable | $415.43 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Unavailable | $377.43 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | Unavailable | $420.86 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | Unavailable | $384.62 |
| Santa Maria, CA | Unavailable | $382.48 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | Unavailable | $388.01 |
| Stockton, CA | Unavailable | $373.96 |
| Vallejo, CA | Unavailable | $400.95 |
| Visalia, CA | Unavailable | $373.96 |
| Yuba City, CA | Unavailable | $373.96 |
How the 31601 rate is calculated
Each of 31601’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 · 31601
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work7.80
7.80 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense2.42
2.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.14
1.14 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
11.3600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$379.43
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 31601
The CMS indicators that decide how 31601 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 31601
Tracheostomy, planned, under age two
| 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 | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
31601 without 51 · national facility
$379.43
Tracheostomy, planned, under age two
31601-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$189.72
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%).
31601 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 31600TracheostomyPlanned, age two or older
- Both describe planned tracheostomy, but this code is for a child younger than two; 31600 is for patients age two and older.
- 31603Emergency tracheostomyOpen tracheal airway
- 31603 describes an emergency tracheostomy. Use this code for the planned procedure in a child younger than two.
- 31605Emergency airwayTranstracheal access
- 31605 describes an emergency airway made through the cricothyroid membrane, not a planned tracheostomy.
31601 billing questions
How does this code differ from 31600?
This code is for a planned tracheostomy in a child younger than two. Code 31600 is the planned tracheostomy code for patients age two and older.
When is an emergency airway code used instead?
Use an emergency airway code when the tracheostomy or cricothyrotomy is performed urgently rather than as a planned procedure. Codes 31603 and 31605 describe different emergency airway approaches.
Is same-day evaluation or postoperative care separately reported?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. Separately performed services should be assessed on their own documentation and applicable coding rules.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. The descriptor and anatomy make a bilateral adjustment inappropriate for this procedure.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
What happens when this is performed with another procedure in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures in the same session are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction.
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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