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Billing code 60220: Thyroid lobectomyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports complete removal of one thyroid lobe, with or without the isthmus, while the operation leaves the opposite lobe in place.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities9.3K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $640.30 for 60220 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 60220

Thyroid lobectomy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
10.91
Total RVUs
19.17
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$640.30

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 60220 → · 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 60220 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 60220 covers

This operation removes an entire thyroid lobe and may include the isthmus, the bridge of tissue between the lobes. The opposite lobe remains. Surgeons perform it for conditions such as a unilateral thyroid nodule requiring surgical treatment or disease confined to one lobe. It is generally performed in an operating room by an endocrine, general, or head and neck surgeon.

Report 60220 when the operative record supports removal of the whole lobe, rather than only part of it; removal of the isthmus may be included. The note should identify the side and extent of resection. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery 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 60220 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

60220 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$583.83
Alaska*Unavailable$803.86
ArizonaUnavailable$623.70
ArkansasUnavailable$576.92
AtlantaUnavailable$658.96
AustinUnavailable$644.79
BakersfieldUnavailable$639.06
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$677.93
BeaumontUnavailable$616.82
BrazoriaUnavailable$625.72

60220 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
60220 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 60220 rate is calculated

Each of 60220’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 · 60220

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 10.91Practice expense 6.13Malpractice 2.13

19.1700 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$640.30

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 60220

60220 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 60220

Thyroid lobectomy

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)0.09/0.82/0.09Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 60220

Thyroid lobectomy

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

60220 without 51 · national facility

$640.30

Thyroid lobectomy

60220-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$320.15

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

60220 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

60220 vs 60210 vs 60225 vs 60240 vs 60200: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 60220
    Thyroid lobectomy · 10.91 wRVU
    —
  • 60210
    Thyroid surgery · 10.95 wRVU
    —
  • 60225
    Thyroid surgery · 14.42 wRVU
    —
  • 60240
    Thyroidectomy · 14.66 wRVU
    —
  • 60200
    Thyroid surgery · 9.77 wRVU
    —

How to choose

60210Thyroid surgery
Use 60220 when the whole lobe is removed. Use 60210 for partial removal of a lobe.
60225Thyroid surgery
60225 includes total removal of one lobe and subtotal removal of the opposite lobe; 60220 describes removal of one lobe alone.
60240Thyroidectomy
60240 describes removal of the whole thyroid. 60220 removes one lobe and leaves the opposite lobe in place.
60200Thyroid surgery
60200 is for a thyroid lesion or cyst excision, not removal of an entire thyroid lobe.

Codes related to 60220

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

Codes related to 60220
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
60210Thyroid surgerySibling code for partial removal of one thyroid lobe.No office rate
60212Thyroid surgeryCovers unilateral lobectomy with additional subtotal removal on the opposite side.No office rate
60225Thyroid surgeryCovers total lobectomy on one side with subtotal removal on the other.No office rate
Used instead
60240ThyroidectomyDescribes total or complete thyroid removal rather than leaving the opposite lobe in place.No office rate
60200Thyroid surgeryFor excision of a thyroid lesion or cyst rather than removal of an entire lobe.No office rate

60220 billing questions

How does 60220 differ from 60210?

60220 is for removal of the entire thyroid lobe. Use 60210 when the surgeon removes only part of the lobe.

Is removal of the isthmus included?

Yes. Removal of the isthmus may be part of the unilateral lobectomy reported with 60220; it does not by itself make the procedure a total thyroidectomy.

Can modifier 50 be used when both sides are treated?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code. When the operation removes both lobes, select the code that describes the actual extent of thyroid removal instead.

What postoperative care is included?

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

Can an assistant surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

What happens if another procedure is performed in the same session?

Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are subject to a 50% 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 60220PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,700 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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