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Billing code 31500: Emergency intubationMedicare rate & RVUs

Report emergency endotracheal intubation when a clinician places a breathing tube to establish or secure an airway during an acute crisis.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities189K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $132.94 for 31500 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 31500

Emergency intubation

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
2.93
Total RVUs
3.98
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$132.94

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 31500 → · 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 31500 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 31500 covers

This service covers urgent placement of an endotracheal tube to establish or secure a patient’s airway, commonly during respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, or another acute emergency. Emergency physicians, anesthesiologists, intensivists, and other qualified clinicians may perform it in an emergency department, hospital, or other setting where immediate airway support is needed. The service is distinct from examining the larynx or changing an existing tracheostomy tube.

Report the procedure when the record supports that emergency endotracheal intubation was performed; document the clinical need and the airway procedure. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. Modifier 50 is inappropriate because the service is not bilateral. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code, and 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 31500 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

31500 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$123.60
Alaska*Unavailable$175.91
ArizonaUnavailable$130.04
ArkansasUnavailable$122.48
AtlantaUnavailable$136.76
AustinUnavailable$132.41
BakersfieldUnavailable$130.35
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$139.69
BeaumontUnavailable$130.08
BrazoriaUnavailable$130.02

31500 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
31500 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 31500 rate is calculated

Each of 31500’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 · 31500

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 2.93Practice expense 0.57Malpractice 0.48

3.9800 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$132.94

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 31500

The CMS indicators that decide how 31500 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 31500

Emergency intubation

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures0No multiple-procedure reduction.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

31500 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

31500 vs 31603 vs 31502 vs 31505: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 31500
    Emergency intubation · 2.93 wRVU
    —
  • 31603
    Emergency tracheostomy · 5.85 wRVU
    —
  • 31502
    Tracheostomy exchange · 0.63 wRVU
    —
  • 31505
    Laryngoscopy · 0.59 wRVU
    $88.51

How to choose

31603Emergency tracheostomy
31603 describes emergency surgical tracheostomy for airway access. Use 31500 when the emergency airway is established by endotracheal tube placement.
31502Tracheostomy exchange
31502 is for changing an existing tracheostomy tube; 31500 is for emergency endotracheal intubation.
31505Laryngoscopy
31505 is a diagnostic laryngoscopy. It does not represent emergency endotracheal tube placement.

Codes related to 31500

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

Codes related to 31500
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
31603Emergency tracheostomyEmergency surgical airway access by tracheostomy differs from endotracheal tube placement.No office rate
Often billed with
92950CPRCardiopulmonary resuscitation may occur in the same arrest encounter as emergency intubation.$338.96–$490.10
99291Critical careCritical care may be furnished during the same encounter as emergency airway management.$281.30–$386.53

31500 billing questions

When should 31500 be reported instead of a laryngoscopy code?

Report 31500 for emergency placement of an endotracheal tube to establish or secure the airway. A laryngoscopy code describes examination or treatment involving the larynx, not emergency tube placement.

Is same-day evaluation and management included?

CMS assigns 31500 a 0-day global period, which includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. The procedure itself should be supported by the record.

Should modifier 50 be appended?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 31500. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

Can 31500 be reported during a cardiac-arrest resuscitation?

Yes, when emergency endotracheal intubation is performed during the resuscitation. Document the airway intervention separately from the resuscitation service.

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 31500PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,573 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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