CPT code 42825: Tonsillectomy, younger than age 122026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Montana

Reports surgical removal of the palatine tonsils in a patient younger than 12, commonly for recurrent infection or tonsillar obstruction.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026One payment locality

In Montana, Medicare pays $243.46 for 42825 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Not available in this settingOffice (non-facility)
$243.46Hospital or facility

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 42825 nationwide

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

We’ll open 42825 for the payment locality that covers the ZIP.

On this page 11 sections
  1. Rate in Montana
  2. What 42825 covers
  3. Compared with other areas
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Related codes
  8. Rate history
  9. Where it applies
  10. Billing questions
  11. Sources

What 42825 covers

An otolaryngologist typically performs this operation in an operating room, removing the palatine tonsils in a patient younger than 12. Common clinical reasons include recurrent or chronic tonsillitis and enlarged tonsils associated with obstructive breathing or sleep-disordered breathing. The operation addresses the tonsils; removal of adenoid tissue is a separate distinction in code selection.

Select this code based on the patient’s age on the date of surgery and the documented procedure. The operative report should support removal of the palatine tonsils and identify any additional procedure, such as adenoid removal. This major surgery includes the preoperative visit on the day before and related postoperative care for 90 days. For multiple procedures in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and other procedures at 50%. Do not append modifier 50. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; 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.

How Montana compares for 42825

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 42825 runs from $219.75 in Arkansas to $300.77 in Alaska. Montana pays $243.46. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

42825 in Montana vs other payment areas
  1. Montana · this page$243.46
  2. Los Angeles, CA · California$263.51+$20.05
  3. Washington, DC area · District of Columbia$271.63+$28.17
  4. Miami, FL · Florida$272.65+$29.19
  5. Chicago, IL · Illinois$265.62+$22.16
  6. Manhattan, NY · New York$278.54+$35.08
  7. Alaska · Alaska$300.77+$57.31

Other areas in Montana first, then benchmark localities. Bars start at $0.

Every other payment area

42825 in every other Medicare payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaAlabama—$222.38
ArkansasArkansas—$219.75
ArizonaArizona—$237.67
Bakersfield, CACalifornia—$250.26
Chico, CACalifornia—$248.87
El Centro, CACalifornia—$248.95
Fresno, CACalifornia—$248.87
Hanford, CACalifornia—$248.87

42825 rates by state

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

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
42825 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

See 42825 in every payment locality

How the 42825 rate is calculated

Each of 42825’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 · 42825

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work3.42

3.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense3.39

3.39 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.48

0.48 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

7.2900

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$243.49

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

The exact Montana inputs and CMS source lines

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

5,081

Code
42825
Physician work
3.42
Practice expense
3.39
Malpractice
0.48

GPCI2026.csv

71

Locality
Montana
Physician work
1.000
Practice expense
1.000
Malpractice
0.998
Facility calculation for 42825 in Montana
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work3.42× 1.0003.4200
Practice expense3.39× 1.0003.3900
Malpractice0.48× 0.9980.4790
Total RVUs7.2890
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Facility rate, Montana$243.46

Facility: (3.42 × 1 + 3.39 × 1 + 0.48 × 0.998) × $33.4009 = $243.46

Open 42825 in the RVU calculator

Payment rules and modifiers for 42825

42825 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 42825

Tonsillectomy, younger than age 12

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)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.09/0.81/0.10Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 42825

Tonsillectomy, younger than age 12

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

42825 without 51 · national facility

$243.49

Tonsillectomy, younger than age 12

42825-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$121.75

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

How 42825 has changed in Montana

42825 · Office / nonfacility

Rate unavailable

Effective 2026-10-01

A rate is unavailable in one of these releases, so a change cannot be calculated.

Base rate by release · bars start at $0 · select a bar to compare

One bar per available release, ordered by effective date. Missing rates remain gaps. These comparisons hold the code, setting and locality identifiers constant; they do not isolate which policy or input caused a change.

What changed, release by release
Rates in every CMS release
Effective fromOfficeFacilityCMS release
2026-10-01Not available in this setting$243.46RVU26D
2026-07-01Not available in this setting$243.46RVU26C
2026-04-01Not available in this setting$243.46RVU26B
2026-01-01Not available in this setting$243.46RVU26A
2025-10-01Not available in this setting$265.85RVU25D
2025-07-01Not available in this setting$265.85RVU25C
2025-04-01Not available in this setting$265.85RVU25B
2025-01-01Not available in this setting$265.85RVU25A
2024-10-01Not available in this setting$271.59RVU24D
2024-07-01Not available in this setting$271.59RVU24C
2024-04-01Not available in this setting$271.59RVU24B
2024-03-09Not available in this setting$271.59RVU24AR
2024-01-01Not available in this setting$267.16RVU24A
2023-10-01Not available in this setting$274.11RVU23D
2023-07-01Not available in this setting$274.11RVU23C
2023-04-01Not available in this setting$274.11RVU23B
2023-01-01Not available in this setting$274.11RVU23A
2022-10-01Not available in this setting$274.38RVU22D
2022-07-01Not available in this setting$274.38RVU22C
2022-04-01Not available in this setting$274.38RVU22B
2022-01-01Not available in this setting$274.38RVU22A
2021-10-01Not available in this setting$269.34RVU21D
2021-07-01Not available in this setting$269.34RVU21C
2021-04-01Not available in this setting$269.34RVU21B
2021-01-01Not available in this setting$269.34RVU21A
2020-10-01Not available in this setting$276.66RVU20D
2020-07-01Not available in this setting$276.66RVU20C
2020-04-01Not available in this setting$276.66RVU20B
2020-01-01Not available in this setting$276.66RVU20A
2019-10-01Not available in this setting$282.02RVU19D
2019-07-01Not available in this setting$282.02RVU19C
2019-04-01Not available in this setting$282.02RVU19B
2019-01-01Not available in this setting$282.02RVU19A
2018-10-01Not available in this setting$279.55RVU18D
2018-07-01Not available in this setting$279.55RVU18C
2018-04-01Not available in this setting$279.55RVU18B
2018-01-01Not available in this setting$279.55RVU18AR1
2017-10-01Not available in this setting$278.81RVU17D
2017-07-01Not available in this setting$278.81RVU17C
2017-04-01Not available in this setting$278.81RVU17B
2017-01-01Not available in this setting$278.81RVU17A
2016-10-01Not available in this setting$277.31RVU16D
2016-07-01Not available in this setting$277.31RVU16C
2016-04-01Not available in this setting$277.31RVU16B
2016-01-01Not available in this setting$277.31RVU16A
2015-10-01Not available in this setting$276.52RVU15D
2015-07-01Not available in this setting$276.52RVU15C
2015-04-01Not available in this setting$275.14RVU15B
2015-01-01Not available in this setting$275.14RVU15A
2014-10-01Not available in this setting$274.38RVU14D
2014-07-01Not available in this setting$274.38RVU14C
2014-04-01Not available in this setting$274.38RVU14B
2014-01-01Not available in this setting$274.38RVU14A
2013-10-01Not available in this setting$273.05RVU13D
2013-07-01Not available in this setting$273.05RVU13C
2013-04-01Not available in this setting$273.05RVU13B
2013-01-01Not available in this setting$273.05RVU13AR

Price 42825 for an earlier date of service

Where the Montana rate applies

Montana is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 497 cities and communities in Montana. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

  • Absarokee
  • Acton
  • Alberton
  • Alder
  • Alzada
  • Amsterdam
  • Anaconda-Deer Lodge County
  • Antelope

Browse all communities in Montana

42825 billing questions

How does this code differ from 42826?

Both report tonsil removal, but 42825 is for patients younger than 12. Use 42826 for patients age 12 or older.

Can modifier 50 be reported for removal of both tonsils?

No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.

When should 42820 be considered instead?

Use 42820 when the surgeon removes both the tonsils and adenoids in a patient younger than 12. This code covers tonsil removal without the adenoid procedure.

What documentation supports reporting 42825?

The operative report should document removal of the palatine tonsils, and the record should establish that the patient was younger than 12 on the surgery date.

How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?

The day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery are included in the global period.

Can an assistant surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment is available only when the record documents medical necessity. 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 42825PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,081 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for MontanaGPCI2026.csv, line 71 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 42825 pays in Montana?

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

Fee sheets

Put 42825 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

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

Build my fee sheet