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Billing code 31800: Tracheal repairMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports operative repair of an injured cervical trachea, such as a traumatic neck laceration, when the repair is performed at the neck level.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities34 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $644.64 for 31800 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 31800

Tracheal repair

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
7.98
Total RVUs
19.30
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$644.64

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 31800 → · 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 31800 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 31800 covers

This code describes operative repair of an injured segment of the cervical trachea. Typical cases include a traumatic laceration of the windpipe in the neck; the injury may follow penetrating or blunt trauma or occur during another procedure. An otolaryngologist, head and neck surgeon, thoracic surgeon, or trauma surgeon typically performs the repair in an operating room, usually in a hospital setting.

Select this code when the operative report identifies the injury and places the repair in the cervical trachea; use the intrathoracic injury code when the repaired segment is within the chest. Documentation should establish the injury’s location and the work performed to restore the tracheal wall. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant is paid only when medical necessity is documented; 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 31800 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

31800 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$585.30
Alaska*Unavailable$782.40
ArizonaUnavailable$628.50
ArkansasUnavailable$577.88
AtlantaUnavailable$658.72
AustinUnavailable$660.38
BakersfieldUnavailable$666.97
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$682.91
BeaumontUnavailable$611.35
BrazoriaUnavailable$635.12

31800 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
31800 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 31800 rate is calculated

Each of 31800’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 · 31800

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 7.98Practice expense 10.15Malpractice 1.17

19.3000 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$644.64

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 31800

31800 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 31800

Tracheal repair

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)0.10/0.76/0.14Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 31800

Tracheal repair

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.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned 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

31800 without 51 · national facility

$644.64

Tracheal repair

31800-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$322.32

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

31800 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

31800 vs 31805 vs 31820 vs 31825 vs 31830: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 31800
    Tracheal repair · 7.98 wRVU
    —
  • 31805
    Tracheal repair · 13.08 wRVU
    —
  • 31820
    Tracheal closure · 4.52 wRVU
    $445.90
  • 31825
    Tracheal defect repair · 6.89 wRVU
    $610.90
  • 31830
    Tracheal scar revision · 4.5 wRVU
    $489.66

How to choose

31805Tracheal repair
Use 31800 for an injury repaired in the cervical trachea; 31805 describes repair of an intrathoracic tracheal injury.
31820Tracheal closure
31820 is for closing a tracheostomy or fistula without plastic repair, not for repairing a traumatic cervical tracheal injury.
31825Tracheal defect repair
31825 addresses closure of a tracheostomy or fistula with plastic repair; 31800 is selected for repair of an injured cervical trachea.
31830Tracheal scar revision
31830 revises a tracheostomy scar. It is not the code for repairing an acute injury to the cervical trachea.

Codes related to 31800

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

Codes related to 31800
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
31805Tracheal repairRelated injury repair code for a tracheal segment located within the chest.No office rate
Used instead
31899Unlisted px trachea bronchiUnlisted tracheal or bronchial procedure code when no listed code accurately describes the service.No office rate

31800 billing questions

How does this differ from 31805?

The distinction is the injury’s location: this code is for repair in the cervical trachea, while 31805 is for repair within the chest. The operative report should identify the repaired segment.

Can modifier 50 be reported for a tracheal injury on one side?

No. The descriptor and anatomy make bilateral reporting with modifier 50 inappropriate.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care.

When is an assistant at surgery payable?

Medicare pays an assistant at surgery only when the record documents medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.

What documentation supports reporting this code?

The operative report should describe the tracheal injury, establish that the repaired segment is cervical, and document the repair performed.

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 31800PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,677 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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