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Billing code 32853: Lung transplantMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports transplantation of both donor lungs into one recipient without cardiopulmonary bypass during the transplant operation.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities314 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $4,238.91 for 32853 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 32853

Lung transplant

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
82.37
Total RVUs
126.91
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$4,238.91

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 32853 → · 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 32853 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 32853 covers

A thoracic transplant surgeon removes the recipient’s diseased lungs and implants donor lungs on both sides of the chest, without cardiopulmonary bypass. The operation is generally performed in a hospital operating room as treatment for end-stage lung disease, such as advanced pulmonary fibrosis or emphysema. The code describes the bilateral recipient transplant, not donor-organ removal or donor-lung preparation.

Select this code when the operative record supports transplantation of both lungs and confirms that cardiopulmonary bypass was not used. The record should identify the recipient procedures and the transplant approach. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. The code is priced as bilateral, so modifier 50 does not increase payment. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 32853 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

32853 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$3,840.34
Alaska*Unavailable$5,357.56
ArizonaUnavailable$4,115.04
ArkansasUnavailable$3,792.45
AtlantaUnavailable$4,398.26
AustinUnavailable$4,212.35
BakersfieldUnavailable$4,098.91
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$4,504.37
BeaumontUnavailable$4,118.09
BrazoriaUnavailable$4,102.35

32853 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
32853 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 32853 rate is calculated

Each of 32853’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 · 32853

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 82.37Practice expense 23.94Malpractice 20.60

126.9100 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$4,238.91

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 32853

32853 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 32853

Lung transplant

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)2Already bilateral by definition: paid once at 100%.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)2Permitted.
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 · 32853

Lung transplant

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

32853 without 51 · national facility

$4,238.91

Lung transplant

32853-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$2,119.46

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

32853 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

32853 vs 32851 vs 32854 vs 32856: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 32853
    Lung transplant · 82.37 wRVU
    —
  • 32851
    Lung transplant · 58.15 wRVU
    —
  • 32854
    Lung transplant · 87.75 wRVU
    —
  • 32856
    · 0 wRVU
    —

How to choose

32851Lung transplant
32851 is for transplantation of one donor lung without bypass. 32853 is for transplantation of both lungs without bypass.
32854Lung transplant
Both codes describe bilateral lung transplantation; 32854 applies when cardiopulmonary bypass is used, while 32853 applies when it is not.
32856Prepare donor lung double
32856 describes backbench preparation of a double-lung donor allograft before implantation; 32853 describes the recipient’s bilateral transplant operation.

Codes related to 32853

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

Codes related to 32853
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
32851Lung transplantSingle-lung transplantation without bypass, rather than bilateral transplantation.No office rate
Used instead
32854Lung transplantBilateral lung transplantation when cardiopulmonary bypass is used.No office rate
Often billed with
32856Prepare donor lung doubleIdentifies backbench preparation of a double-lung donor allograft when that work is performed.No office rate

32853 billing questions

How does this differ from 32854?

32853 describes bilateral lung transplantation without cardiopulmonary bypass. Use 32854 when the bilateral transplant is performed with bypass.

Should modifier 50 be appended?

No. The code is already priced as bilateral, and modifier 50 does not increase payment.

Does the transplant code include donor-lung preparation?

The transplant code describes the recipient operation. Code 32856 identifies backbench preparation of a double-lung allograft; document that preparation separately when it is performed.

What postoperative care is included in the global period?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is permitted.

What if another procedure is performed in the same session?

Under the standard multiple procedure rule, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%.

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 32853PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,793 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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