Billing code 31633: Bronchoscopic needle biopsyMedicare rate & RVUs
Reports needle aspiration biopsy during bronchoscopy when the physician samples an additional lung lobe beyond the lobe represented by the primary procedure.
Medicare pays $86.17 for 31633 nationally in the office and $56.11 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $78.72–$108.46.
Medicare rate · 31633
Bronchoscopic needle biopsy
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 1.29
- Total RVUs
- 2.58
- Global days
- ZZZ
National rate · 2026
$86.17
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 31633 → · 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
What 31633 covers
This add-on describes bronchoscopic transbronchial needle aspiration biopsy in an additional lung lobe. A pulmonologist or other qualified physician performs the sampling through a flexible or rigid bronchoscope, commonly during diagnostic evaluation of a suspected pulmonary lesion. The needle passes through the airway wall to obtain tissue or cells from the targeted site. The code distinguishes sampling in another lobe from additional needle passes or specimens taken in the same lobe.
Report 31633 with the primary bronchoscopic needle aspiration procedure, 31629, when documentation supports sampling in an additional lobe. Record the lobes sampled and the bronchoscopic needle-biopsy technique so the additional-lobe service is clear. CMS identifies 31633 as an add-on code: it is billed only with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure's global period.
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 31633 pays more and less
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
109 payment localities
$78.72 to $108.46
109 of 109 payment localities
31633 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.
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$78.72
$108.46
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
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| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $108.46 | 1 |
| AL | $79.55 | 1 |
| AR | $78.72 | 1 |
| AZ | $84.39 | 1 |
| CA | $88.80–$106.33 | 29 |
| CO | $88.31 | 1 |
| CT | $90.89 | 1 |
| DC | $95.91 | 1 |
| DE | $85.52 | 1 |
| FL | $86.47–$93.90 | 3 |
| GA | $82.72–$87.73 | 2 |
| GU | $89.84 | 1 |
| HI | $89.84 | 1 |
| IA | $80.44 | 1 |
| ID | $80.94 | 1 |
| IL | $85.03–$91.86 | 4 |
| IN | $81.26 | 1 |
| KS | $80.43 | 1 |
| KY | $81.50 | 1 |
| LA | $81.51–$84.41 | 2 |
| MA | $88.12–$95.08 | 2 |
| MD | $86.75–$95.91 | 3 |
| ME | $81.53–$84.34 | 2 |
| MI | $83.29–$87.56 | 2 |
| MN | $84.49 | 1 |
| MO | $80.68–$84.31 | 3 |
| MS | $79.70 | 1 |
| MT | $86.17 | 1 |
| NC | $82.11 | 1 |
| ND | $83.79 | 1 |
| NE | $80.67 | 1 |
| NH | $87.28 | 1 |
| NJ | $91.88–$95.41 | 2 |
| NM | $83.74 | 1 |
| NV | $85.54 | 1 |
| NY | $83.03–$99.75 | 5 |
| OH | $82.81 | 1 |
| OK | $81.10 | 1 |
| OR | $84.83–$90.18 | 2 |
| PA | $82.75–$89.33 | 2 |
| PR | $86.54 | 1 |
| RI | $87.85 | 1 |
| SC | $82.60 | 1 |
| SD | $83.51 | 1 |
| TN | $80.76 | 1 |
| TX | $82.37–$88.07 | 8 |
| UT | $83.42 | 1 |
| VA | $84.33–$95.91 | 2 |
| VI | $86.54 | 1 |
| VT | $83.80 | 1 |
| WA | $87.85–$96.47 | 2 |
| WI | $81.76 | 1 |
| WV | $82.78 | 1 |
| WY | $85.13 | 1 |
How the 31633 rate is calculated
Each of 31633’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 · 31633
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.29Practice expense 1.17Malpractice 0.12
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 31633
The CMS indicators that decide how 31633 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 31633
Bronchoscopic needle biopsy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
31633 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
31633 vs 31629 vs 31632 vs 31628: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 31629Bronchoscopic biopsy
- 31629 reports the primary bronchoscopic needle aspiration biopsy service. Use 31633 only for needle aspiration biopsy in an additional lobe, with the primary procedure.
- 31632Lung biopsy
- 31632 is the additional-lobe add-on for transbronchial lung biopsy; 31633 is for needle aspiration biopsy in an additional lobe.
- 31628Lung biopsy
- 31628 reports primary transbronchial lung biopsy. It is not the primary needle aspiration code required to accompany 31633.
31633 billing questions
Which primary procedure must accompany 31633?
Report 31633 with 31629, the primary code for bronchoscopic transbronchial needle aspiration biopsy. The record should identify the additional lobe sampled.
Does each additional needle pass support another unit?
No. The add-on is based on sampling an additional lobe, not on the number of needle passes or specimens from the same lobe.
How is 31633 different from 31632?
31633 represents needle aspiration biopsy in an additional lobe. 31632 represents additional-lobe transbronchial lung biopsy, a different sampling technique.
What documentation supports the add-on?
Document the primary needle aspiration procedure, the lobe or lobes sampled, and the needle-biopsy method. The record should distinguish the additional lobe from the lobe represented by the primary service.
Can 31633 be reported by itself?
No. CMS classifies it as an add-on code that must be billed with a primary procedure; its payment is within that procedure's global period.
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
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