CPT code 31635: Bronchoscopy, foreign body removal2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Report this service when a physician uses bronchoscopy to retrieve a foreign object lodged in the trachea or bronchial airway.
Medicare pays $339.57–$419.37 for 31635 in the office in California, from Chico, CA to San Benito County, CA. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 31635 covers
A pulmonologist or thoracic surgeon uses a bronchoscope to locate and retrieve an object lodged in the trachea or a bronchus. Typical cases include an aspirated food fragment or another object obstructing the airway. The physician may use retrieval instruments through a flexible or rigid scope, with the approach guided by the object’s location and the patient’s condition. Bronchoscopic foreign body removal is commonly performed in a hospital or other facility setting.
Report 31635 when the bronchoscopic intervention removes a foreign object, and document its airway location, the retrieval performed, and the outcome. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy family pricing applies. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; 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 31635 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 payment localities
$339.57 to $419.37
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | $340.67 | $159.10 |
| Chico, CA | $339.57 | $158.00 |
| El Centro, CA | $339.63 | $158.06 |
| Fresno, CA | $339.57 | $158.00 |
| Hanford, CA | $339.57 | $158.00 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $361.24 | $165.26 |
| Madera, CA | $339.57 | $158.00 |
| Marin County, CA | $410.35 | $176.76 |
| Merced, CA | $339.57 | $158.00 |
| Modesto, CA | $339.57 | $158.00 |
| Napa, CA | $388.92 | $170.56 |
| Oxnard, CA | $359.10 | $163.28 |
| Redding, CA | $339.57 | $158.00 |
| Rest of California | $339.57 | $158.00 |
| Riverside, CA | $343.49 | $161.92 |
| Sacramento, CA | $355.13 | $162.46 |
| Salinas, CA | $353.77 | $161.77 |
| San Benito County, CA | $419.37 | $180.48 |
| San Diego, CA | $361.16 | $163.02 |
| San Francisco, CA | $409.94 | $176.35 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $348.20 | $159.51 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | $417.70 | $178.81 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $363.90 | $162.62 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $354.85 | $161.68 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $367.51 | $164.07 |
| Stockton, CA | $339.57 | $158.00 |
| Vallejo, CA | $388.33 | $169.97 |
| Visalia, CA | $339.57 | $158.00 |
| Yuba City, CA | $339.57 | $158.00 |
How the 31635 rate is calculated
Each of 31635’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 · 31635
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work3.33
3.33 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.01
6.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.36
0.36 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
9.7000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$323.99
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 31635
The CMS indicators that decide how 31635 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 31635
Bronchoscopy, foreign body removal
| 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 | 3 | Endoscopy family rules apply. |
| 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. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
31635 without 51 · national office
$323.99
Bronchoscopy, foreign body removal
31635-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$162.00
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%).
31635 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 31622BronchoscopyDiagnostic with washing
- 31622 is for diagnostic bronchoscopic inspection. Choose 31635 when the procedure includes retrieval of a foreign object.
- 31640Bronchoscopic tumor removalEndobronchial excision
- 31640 addresses bronchoscopic excision of a tumor. Use 31635 for retrieval of a foreign object lodged in the airway.
- 31641Therapeutic bronchoscopyTumor destruction or stenosis relief
- 31641 addresses bronchoscopic treatment of stenosis or another obstruction. Use 31635 when the obstruction is a foreign object that is retrieved.
- 31645Bronchial aspirationInitial therapeutic aspiration
- 31645 describes therapeutic aspiration of material from the airway, such as secretions; 31635 is for bronchoscopic retrieval of a foreign object.
31635 billing questions
How is 31635 different from diagnostic bronchoscopy 31622?
Use 31635 when the bronchoscopy includes retrieval of a foreign object. Use 31622 when the service is diagnostic inspection rather than foreign body removal.
Can diagnostic bronchoscopy be reported with 31635?
The diagnostic inspection is part of the bronchoscopic removal service when performed as part of the same procedure. Endoscopy family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together.
Which modifier applies for removal from both lungs?
Modifier 50 is inappropriate for 31635. The code’s descriptor or anatomy makes a bilateral adjustment inapplicable.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 31635. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this service.
What documentation supports reporting 31635?
Document the foreign object, its location in the trachea or bronchial airway, the bronchoscopic retrieval performed, and the result.
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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