Billing code 42340: Stone removalMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports operative removal of a salivary stone when the procedure is complicated, with the gland, approach, and operative complexity documented.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities93 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $525.73 for 42340 nationally in the office and $308.96 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $465.68–$687.12.

Medicare rate · 42340

Stone removal

Work RVUs
4.6
Total RVUs
15.74
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$525.73

Office setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 42340 →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 42340 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 42340 covers

An otolaryngologist or oral and maxillofacial surgeon may remove a salivary calculus that obstructs a duct or gland and causes symptoms such as painful swelling, often around meals. The stone may involve a submandibular, sublingual, or parotid gland. This code represents the complicated procedure in the salivary-stone removal family; the operative report should identify the stone location, surgical approach, and features supporting the documented complexity.

Select this code when the performed stone-removal procedure meets the complicated level, rather than the uncomplicated service represented by 42330. The code has a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period are included. For multiple procedures in one session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard reduction to the others. When performed bilaterally with modifier 50, payment is at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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 42340 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 payment localities

$465.68 to $687.12

$465.68$576.40$687.12
One dot per payment locality, office / nonfacility. Hover a dot to see the locality; select it to open that rate.

109 of 109 payment localities

42340 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Alabama$472.41$282.73
Alaska*$615.41$384.54
Arizona$511.70$301.65
Arkansas$465.68$279.48
Atlanta$536.22$315.98
Austin$543.83$314.48
Bakersfield$553.63$316.05
Baltimore/Surr. Cntys$558.97$326.37
Beaumont$492.66$295.40
Brazoria$518.96$304.14

42340 rates by state

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

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.

$465.68

$619.42

Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.

View every state and territory as a table
42340 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AK$615.411
AL$472.411
AR$465.681
AZ$511.701
CA$551.72–$687.1229
CO$545.151
CT$560.391
DC$598.831
DE$520.071
FL$521.42–$573.793
GA$492.16–$536.222
GU$564.411
HI$564.411
IA$482.681
ID$486.111
IL$507.69–$557.104
IN$488.851
KS$481.191
KY$485.001
LA$484.55–$508.082
MA$542.27–$597.512
MD$529.66–$598.833
ME$489.39–$514.452
MI$498.12–$528.602
MN$520.361
MO$476.85–$508.973
MS$471.321
MT$525.691
NC$494.321
ND$512.641
NE$485.071
NH$537.331
NJ$566.22–$592.922
NM$501.111
NV$522.401
NY$501.68–$620.615
OH$495.451
OK$483.361
OR$517.78–$561.402
PA$495.81–$547.102
PR$529.251
RI$537.821
SC$495.821
SD$511.091
TN$483.671
TX$492.66–$543.838
UT$502.481
VA$513.30–$598.832
VI$529.251
VT$511.341
WA$541.01–$608.842
WI$495.771
WV$489.381
WY$520.001

How the 42340 rate is calculated

Each of 42340’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 · 42340

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work4.60

4.60 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense10.48

10.48 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.66

0.66 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

15.7400

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$525.73

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 42340

42340 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 42340

Stone removal

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)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
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)0.09/0.81/0.10Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 42340

Stone removal

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 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

42340 without 50 · national office

$525.73

Stone removal

42340-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$788.60

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

42340 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

  • 42340

    Stone removal4.6 wRVU

    $525.73

  • 42330

    Salivary stone removal2.2 wRVU

    $237.81−$287.92

  • 42310

    Salivary drainage1.57 wRVU

    $183.04−$342.69

  • 42335

    Stone removal3.32 wRVU

    $428.53−$97.20

How to choose

42330Salivary stone removal
Use 42330 for uncomplicated salivary-stone removal. Choose 42340 when the documented procedure is complicated.
42310Salivary drainage
42310 describes salivary-gland drainage. 42340 is for operative removal of a salivary calculus.
42335Stone removal
Both codes concern salivary-stone removal, but they represent distinct code-family services. Compare the full descriptor with the documented gland and procedure.

42340 billing questions

How is 42340 distinguished from 42330?

42340 is the complicated salivary-stone removal service; 42330 represents the uncomplicated service. The operative report should support the level selected.

What documentation supports the complicated level?

Document the affected gland or duct, the approach, the stone removal performed, and the operative circumstances that support classifying the procedure as complicated.

Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral stone removal?

CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure. When reporting bilateral performance with modifier 50, payment is at 150%.

What postoperative care is included?

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

When is an assistant at surgery payable?

Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when medical necessity is documented. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.

How are multiple procedures in the same session paid?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and the other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.

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 42340PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,026 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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