FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

CPT code 32810: Chest closure, after drainage or thoracic procedure2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Surgical closure of a chest-wall opening left after open drainage, commonly for empyema, when the operative wound is ready for definitive closure.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities48 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $873.77 for 32810 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 32810

Chest closure, after drainage or thoracic procedure

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
14.58
Total RVUs
26.16
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$873.77

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 32810 →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 32810 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 32810 covers

A thoracic surgeon closes a chest-wall opening remaining after open drainage, such as drainage performed for empyema, or after another thoracic procedure that left an opening requiring closure. The service is generally performed in an operating room, often in a hospital facility, as a distinct operative closure rather than routine closure of an incision made during the current operation.

Report the code when the operative record supports closure of the chest-wall opening and identifies the prior drainage or other procedure that led to it. Documentation should describe the opening and the closure performed. Medicare classifies the service as major surgery with a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur 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 may be made; 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 32810 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

32810 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$787.65
AlaskaUnavailable$1,079.57
ArizonaUnavailable$847.96
ArkansasUnavailable$777.18
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$904.03
Austin, TXUnavailable$876.15
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$860.62
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$929.84
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$841.28
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$848.39

32810 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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
32810 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 32810 rate is calculated

Each of 32810’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 · 32810

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work14.58

14.58 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense7.92

7.92 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice3.66

3.66 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

26.1600

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$873.77

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 32810

32810 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 32810

Chest closure, after drainage or thoracic procedure

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are 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)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.76/0.14Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 32810

Chest closure, after drainage or thoracic procedure

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

32810 without 51 · national facility

$873.77

Chest closure, after drainage or thoracic procedure

32810-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$436.89

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

32810 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 32810

    Chest closure, after drainage or thoracic procedure14.58 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 32815

    Fistula closure, bronchial fistula48.78 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 32820

    Chest wall reconstruction, major reconstruction21.95 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 32800

    Lung hernia repair15.32 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

32815Fistula closureBronchial fistula
Choose 32810 for a chest-wall opening left after drainage or another procedure; 32815 targets a bronchial fistula.
32820Chest wall reconstructionMajor reconstruction
32820 addresses reconstruction of an injured chest wall. This code is for closure following open drainage or another thoracic procedure.
32800Lung hernia repair
32800 repairs a lung hernia through the chest wall; this code closes an opening left after drainage or another procedure.

Codes related to 32810

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

Codes related to 32810
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
32815Fistula closure, bronchial fistulaFor closure of a bronchial fistula rather than a chest-wall opening.No office rate
32820Chest wall reconstruction, major reconstructionFor reconstruction of an injured chest wall rather than postdrainage closure.No office rate
32800Lung hernia repairFor repair of a lung hernia through the chest wall, not a postdrainage opening.No office rate

32810 billing questions

When is this code used instead of closure of a bronchial fistula?

Use this code for closure of a chest-wall opening remaining after drainage or another thoracic procedure. Use 32815 when the operative target is a bronchial fistula.

Does this code cover the original drainage procedure?

It represents the later chest-wall closure, not the drainage itself. The operative documentation should establish the relationship between the opening and the prior drainage or other procedure.

Should modifier 50 be reported for bilateral closure?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

Can an assistant surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

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 32810PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,785 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 32810 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 32810 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.

Build my fee sheet