FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 39561: Diaphragm resectionMedicare rate & RVUs

Report 39561 when diaphragm tissue is removed and the resulting defect requires complex reconstruction, such as closure with a graft.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities127 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,217.80 for 39561 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 39561

Diaphragm resection

Work RVUs
19.49
Total RVUs
36.46
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,217.80

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 39561 →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 39561 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 39561 covers

Code 39561 describes removal of diaphragm tissue followed by complex repair of the defect, such as reconstruction using a graft. It is most often encountered during a major operation when a tumor or other diseased tissue involves the diaphragm. Thoracic or abdominal surgeons typically perform the work in a hospital operating room. The complex reconstruction distinguishes this service from a resection that can be repaired simply.

Choose this code when the operative report supports both diaphragm resection and complex repair; document the resection and how the defect was reconstructed. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code's descriptor and anatomy. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team-surgery payment is 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 39561 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

39561 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,095.75
Alaska*Unavailable$1,494.98
ArizonaUnavailable$1,181.51
ArkansasUnavailable$1,080.89
AtlantaUnavailable$1,259.47
AustinUnavailable$1,223.48
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,203.90
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,296.76
BeaumontUnavailable$1,169.93
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,182.95

39561 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
39561 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 39561 rate is calculated

Each of 39561’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 · 39561

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work19.49

19.49 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense12.01

12.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice4.96

4.96 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

36.4600

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,217.80

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 39561

39561 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 39561

Diaphragm resection

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)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.09/0.84/0.07Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 39561

Diaphragm resection

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.

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

39561 without 51 · national facility

$1,217.80

Diaphragm resection

39561-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$608.90

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

39561 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

  • 39561

    Diaphragm resection19.49 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 39560

    Diaphragm resection12.73 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 39501

    Diaphragm repair13.63 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 39540

    Diaphragm hernia repair14.21 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

39560Diaphragm resection
Use 39560 for diaphragm resection followed by simple repair. Use 39561 when the defect needs complex reconstruction, such as graft repair.
39501Diaphragm repair
39501 addresses repair of a diaphragm laceration. It does not describe resection followed by complex reconstruction.
39540Diaphragm hernia repair
39540 is for repair of an acute traumatic diaphragmatic hernia. Choose 39561 when diaphragm tissue is resected and the defect receives complex repair.

Codes related to 39561

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

Codes related to 39561
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
39560Diaphragm resectionDiaphragm resection with simple rather than complex repair.No office rate
Used instead
39501Diaphragm repairRepair of a diaphragm laceration when the service is repair rather than complex resection.No office rate
39540Diaphragm hernia repairRepair of an acute traumatic diaphragmatic hernia, not diaphragm resection with complex repair.No office rate
39541Diaphragm repairRepair of a chronic traumatic diaphragmatic hernia, not diaphragm resection with complex repair.No office rate
39599Unlisted px diaphragmUnlisted diaphragm procedure when no specific listed code describes the operation.No office rate

39561 billing questions

How does 39561 differ from 39560?

Both describe diaphragm resection. Use 39561 when the defect requires complex repair, such as graft reconstruction; 39560 is for a simple repair.

Is the repair or graft separately reported?

The complex repair of the defect created by the diaphragm resection is included in 39561. Document the reconstruction technique in the operative report.

Can modifier 50 be used when both sides are involved?

No. The descriptor and anatomy make modifier 50 inappropriate for this service.

What supports reporting 39561 rather than a diaphragm repair code?

The operative report should establish that diaphragm tissue was resected and that the resulting defect required complex reconstruction. A traumatic tear or hernia repair without this resection is a different service.

What are the global and multiple-procedure payment rules?

The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. In a same-session multiple-procedure claim, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to a 50% reduction.

When may an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team-surgery payment is 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 39561PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,787 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 39561 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 39561 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.

Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →