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Billing code 32501: Bronchial repairMedicare rate & RVUs

Add-on reporting for bronchial repair or reconstruction performed as part of a larger thoracic operation, rather than as a standalone service.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities29 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $220.78 for 32501 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 32501

Bronchial repair

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
4.56
Total RVUs
6.61
Global days
ZZZ

National rate · 2026

$220.78

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 32501 → · 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 32501 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 32501 covers

This add-on represents repair or reconstruction of a bronchus performed during a larger thoracic operation. It is typically performed by a thoracic surgeon in the operating room when the operative plan requires bronchial reconstruction in addition to the primary procedure. The work concerns the airway itself, not removal of lung tissue alone; a wedge resection or other lung resection does not by itself support this service.

Report 32501 only with a qualifying primary procedure, and document the bronchial work separately enough to show what was repaired or reconstructed and why it was part of the operation. The operative report should identify the bronchus and describe the reconstruction, along with the primary procedure. CMS classifies this as an add-on code: it is billed only with a primary procedure and payment falls 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 32501 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

32501 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$200.35
Alaska*Unavailable$281.64
ArizonaUnavailable$214.32
ArkansasUnavailable$197.91
AtlantaUnavailable$229.44
AustinUnavailable$218.45
BakersfieldUnavailable$211.54
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$234.51
BeaumontUnavailable$215.35
BrazoriaUnavailable$213.28

32501 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

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
32501 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 32501 rate is calculated

Each of 32501’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 · 32501

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 4.56Practice expense 0.90Malpractice 1.15

6.6100 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$220.78

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 32501

The CMS indicators that decide how 32501 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 32501

Bronchial repair

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global periodZZZAdd-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period.
Multiple procedures0No multiple-procedure reduction.
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.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 80 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

32501 without 80 · national facility

$220.78

Bronchial repair

32501-80 · Assistant: 16%

$35.32

A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.

When to use modifier 80

32501 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

32501 vs 32486 vs 32482 vs 32505: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 32501
    Bronchial repair · 4.56 wRVU
    —
  • 32486
    Sleeve lobectomy · 41.81 wRVU
    —
  • 32482
    Bilobectomy · 26.75 wRVU
    —
  • 32505
    Lung wedge resection · 15.36 wRVU
    —

How to choose

32486Sleeve lobectomy
Use 32486 for a sleeve lobectomy that includes bronchial resection and reconstruction. Code 32501 represents additional bronchial repair or reconstruction reported with a primary procedure.
32482Bilobectomy
32482 reports removal of a lung lobe. It does not by itself describe separate bronchial repair or reconstruction.
32505Lung wedge resection
32505 describes a wedge resection of lung tissue. It is not the code for reconstructing a bronchus.

Codes related to 32501

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

Codes related to 32501
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Often billed with
32480Lung resectionA lung-removal operation may be the primary service when distinct bronchial reconstruction is also performed.No office rate
32482BilobectomyA lobectomy may be the primary service when separately documented bronchial reconstruction is performed.No office rate
32484Lung resectionA segmental lung resection may be the primary service when distinct bronchial reconstruction is also performed.No office rate
Used instead
32486Sleeve lobectomyFor a sleeve lobectomy that includes bronchial resection and reconstruction, rather than a separate bronchial repair add-on.No office rate

32501 billing questions

Can 32501 be billed by itself?

No. CMS identifies it as an add-on code, so it must be reported with a primary procedure.

Does a lung resection alone support 32501?

No. The documentation must show bronchial repair or reconstruction in addition to the primary operation; lung tissue removal alone is not this service.

What should the operative note document?

Identify the bronchus and describe the repair or reconstruction, its medical or operative purpose, and the primary procedure performed during the same operation.

How does the global period affect payment?

CMS pays this add-on within the global period of the primary procedure. It is not paid as a standalone 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 32501PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,721 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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