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Billing code 21601: Chest wall excisionMedicare rate & RVUs

Removal of a chest-wall tumor with involved rib tissue, reported when the operation excises the tumor as well as the rib or ribs.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities259 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,111.58 for 21601 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 21601

Chest wall excision

Work RVUs
17.34
Total RVUs
33.28
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,111.58

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 21601 →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.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 21601 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 21601 covers

This operation removes a chest-wall tumor together with involved rib tissue, rather than removing a rib as an isolated procedure. Thoracic or oncologic surgeons perform it in an operating room, commonly for a primary chest-wall mass or a lesion requiring removal of both tumor and rib tissue. The operative field may include adjacent soft tissue; the defining service is tumor excision that includes rib removal.

Report the code when the operative report supports chest-wall tumor excision with rib resection, and document the tumor site, tissues removed, and ribs involved. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and other procedures at 50%. Do not use modifier 50 for bilateral reporting. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team-surgery payment 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 21601 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

21601 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$999.21
Alaska*Unavailable$1,359.55
ArizonaUnavailable$1,078.32
ArkansasUnavailable$985.50
AtlantaUnavailable$1,149.27
AustinUnavailable$1,118.11
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,101.48
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,184.04
BeaumontUnavailable$1,066.48
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,080.13

21601 rates by state

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

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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
21601 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 21601 rate is calculated

Each of 21601’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 · 21601

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work17.34

17.34 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense11.50

11.50 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice4.44

4.44 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

33.2800

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,111.58

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 21601

21601 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 21601

Chest wall excision

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)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.71/0.19Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 21601

Chest wall excision

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

21601 without 51 · national facility

$1,111.58

Chest wall excision

21601-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$555.79

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

21601 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

  • 21601

    Chest wall excision17.34 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 21600

    Rib excision7.08 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 21602

    Chest wall tumor excision21.64 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 21603

    Chest wall tumor excision24.54 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

21600Rib excision
Choose 21600 for partial rib excision as the operative service. Choose 21601 when the operation removes a chest-wall tumor and includes rib resection.
21602Chest wall tumor excision
The descriptor for 21602 specifies chest-wall tumor excision without lymphadenectomy. Select it when that descriptor matches the documented operative service.
21603Chest wall tumor excision
The descriptor for 21603 specifies chest-wall tumor excision with lymphadenectomy. The documented operative extent distinguishes it from codes without lymphadenectomy.

Codes related to 21601

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

Codes related to 21601
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
21600Rib excisionPartial rib removal when the procedure is rib excision rather than chest-wall tumor excision.No office rate
Same family
21602Chest wall tumor excisionRelated chest-wall tumor excision code that specifies no lymphadenectomy.No office rate
21603Chest wall tumor excisionRelated chest-wall tumor excision code that specifies lymphadenectomy.No office rate

21601 billing questions

How does this differ from 21600?

21601 describes removal of a chest-wall tumor that includes rib resection. Code 21600 describes partial rib removal as the procedure, without the chest-wall tumor excision represented by 21601.

Are the ribs separately billable with the tumor excision?

Do not separately report rib removal that is part of the chest-wall tumor excision. The operative report should identify the tumor and the rib tissue removed.

When should 21602 or 21603 be considered?

Those neighboring codes identify chest-wall tumor excision according to lymphadenectomy status. Use the code whose descriptor matches the procedure documented, including whether lymphadenectomy was performed.

Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral procedures?

No. The descriptor and anatomy make modifier 50 inappropriate for this service.

How are assistant and co-surgeon claims handled?

An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; Medicare does not permit team-surgery payment for this code.

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 21601PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,009 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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