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Billing code 31661: Bronchial thermoplastyMedicare rate & RVUs

Bronchoscopic thermal treatment of airway smooth muscle in two or more lobes for severe asthma is reported once for the treated session.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities14 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $178.69 for 31661 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 31661

Bronchial thermoplasty

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
4.14
Total RVUs
5.35
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$178.69

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 31661 → · 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 31661 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 31661 covers

Bronchial thermoplasty uses a flexible bronchoscope to deliver controlled thermal energy to airway walls, reducing airway smooth muscle. Pulmonologists perform it for selected patients with severe persistent asthma, usually in a hospital or ambulatory surgery facility. Treatment is commonly staged across separate sessions, with the lobes treated documented for each procedure.

Report 31661 once when thermoplasty treats two or more lobes during the session; report 31660 when only one lobe is treated. The procedure report should identify the lobes treated and describe the bronchoscopic treatment. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy-family pricing applies. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, 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 31661 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

31661 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$169.93
Alaska*Unavailable$244.28
ArizonaUnavailable$176.08
ArkansasUnavailable$168.86
AtlantaUnavailable$181.98
AustinUnavailable$179.25
BakersfieldUnavailable$179.35
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$185.83
BeaumontUnavailable$175.29
BrazoriaUnavailable$176.90

31661 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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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
31661 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 31661 rate is calculated

Each of 31661’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 · 31661

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 4.14Practice expense 0.85Malpractice 0.36

5.3500 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$178.69

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 31661

The CMS indicators that decide how 31661 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 31661

Bronchial thermoplasty

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures3Endoscopy family rules apply.
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.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

31661 without 51 · national facility

$178.69

Bronchial thermoplasty

31661-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$89.35

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

31661 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

31661 vs 31660 vs 31647 vs 31651: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 31661
    Bronchial thermoplasty · 4.14 wRVU
    —
  • 31660
    Bronchial thermoplasty · 3.9 wRVU
    —
  • 31647
    Bronchial valve placement · 4.05 wRVU
    —
  • 31651
    Bronchial valve · 1.54 wRVU
    $77.82

How to choose

31660Bronchial thermoplasty
Choose 31660 for thermoplasty of one lobe. Choose 31661 when two or more lobes are treated in the session.
31647Bronchial valve placement
31647 reports initial bronchial valve insertion, a different bronchoscopic treatment. It does not describe thermal treatment of airway smooth muscle.
31651Bronchial valve
31651 reports additional bronchial valve insertion, not bronchial thermoplasty. Select based on whether valves or thermal energy were used.

Codes related to 31661

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

Codes related to 31661
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
31660Bronchial thermoplastyBronchial thermoplasty limited to one lobe; distinguish by the number of lobes treated.No office rate

31661 billing questions

When should 31661 be selected instead of 31660?

Use 31661 when bronchial thermoplasty treats two or more lobes during the session. Use 31660 when treatment is limited to one lobe.

How many units are reported when three lobes are treated?

Report one unit of 31661 for the session treating two or more lobes; the code is not reported once per lobe.

What should the procedure documentation identify?

Document that bronchial thermoplasty was performed and identify the lobes treated. That supports selection of 31661 rather than the one-lobe code, 31660.

Can modifier 50 be used when both lungs are treated?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inapplicable because the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.

How are related endoscopies handled when performed in the same session?

CMS endoscopy-family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the 0-day global period.

Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be paid for this service?

Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 31661. 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 31661PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,661 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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