CPT code 31652: EBUS node sampling, one or two stations2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $1,355.41 for 31652 nationally in the office and $198.07 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $1,179.84–$1,893.25.

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

What 31652 covers

A pulmonologist or thoracic surgeon uses a bronchoscope with endobronchial ultrasound to locate mediastinal or hilar lymph nodes or other structures and guide needle sampling. The procedure is commonly performed in a hospital or outpatient endoscopy setting when evaluating suspected lung cancer, enlarged nodes, or other disease requiring tissue diagnosis. The ultrasound-guided sampling of one or two stations is reported with this code, whether one or multiple passes or specimens are taken from those stations.

Document the EBUS-guided targets and the number of distinct stations sampled; select the sibling code for three or more stations. The bronchoscopy and EBUS guidance for the nodal sampling are part of the service, while separately performed pathology or cytology analysis is distinct. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing 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 31652 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

31652 rates by state

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

How the 31652 rate is calculated

Each of 31652’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 31652

The CMS indicators that decide how 31652 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

31652 compared with similar codes

How to choose

31653EBUS-guided samplingThree or more stations

Use 31653 when EBUS-guided sampling covers three or more mediastinal or hilar stations or structures; 31652 covers one or two.

31629Bronchoscopic biopsyNeedle aspiration biopsy

31629 covers bronchoscopic transbronchial needle sampling without the EBUS-guided mediastinal or hilar nodal service. Choose based on the procedure performed and target sampled.

31628Lung biopsySingle lobe

31628 is for bronchoscopic biopsy of lung tissue. Use 31652 for EBUS-guided needle sampling of mediastinal or hilar nodes or structures.

Codes related to 31652

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