No office rate
Both are single-lung transplants; 32852 is selected when cardiopulmonary bypass is used during the operation.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
32851 Lung transplant Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Report this service for transplantation of one donor lung into a recipient when cardiopulmonary bypass is not used during the transplant operation. Compare 32851 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alabama.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 32851 in Alabama?
Alabama has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$2759.43
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Transplant surgery
About 32851: Single lung transplant without bypass
Report this service for transplantation of one donor lung into a recipient when cardiopulmonary bypass is not used during the transplant operation.
This code represents a single-lung transplant performed without cardiopulmonary bypass. A thoracic transplant surgeon typically removes or prepares the recipient lung as needed, implants the donor lung, and connects its airway and blood vessels. The operation is performed in a hospital operating room; the transplant team may include other surgeons and an assistant.
Select this code when one lung is transplanted and cardiopulmonary bypass is not used. The operative report should identify the single-lung graft and document whether bypass was used. 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. Modifier 50 is not appropriate for this single-lung descriptor. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is permitted.
CMS billing rules for 32851
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU58.15 · 64%
- Practice expense (office) RVU18.51 · 20%
- Malpractice RVU14.61 · 16%
205
Medicare services in 2024 · #4307 by national volume
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.
32851 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
This code is for one transplanted lung without bypass. 32853 is for a double-lung transplant without bypass.
No office rate
32854 describes a double-lung transplant with cardiopulmonary bypass; 32851 describes a single-lung transplant without it.
Compare 32851 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Alabama →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$2759.43
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 32851 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,791
- Code
- 32851
- Physician work
- 58.15
- Practice expense
- 18.51
- Malpractice
- 14.61
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 58.15 | × 1.000 | 58.1500 |
| Practice expense | 18.51 | × 0.875 | 16.1963 |
| Malpractice | 14.61 | × 0.566 | 8.2693 |
| Total RVUs | 82.6155 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alabama$2759.43
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 58.15 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 18.51 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 14.61 | 0.566 |
(58.15 × 1 + 18.51 × 0.875 + 14.61 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $2759.43
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
32851 billing questions
How does this code differ from 32852?
Both describe a single-lung transplant. Use 32851 when cardiopulmonary bypass is not used and 32852 when it is used.
When is 32853 used instead?
32853 describes a double-lung transplant performed without cardiopulmonary bypass. The number of transplanted lungs distinguishes it from 32851.
Should modifier 50 be appended for this code?
No. The descriptor is for a single-lung transplant, and modifier 50 is not appropriate.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is 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 indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
3,78832820,,Reconstruct injured chest,A,,21.95,11.90,NA,11.90,,5.49,39.34,39.34,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,7893284F,,Iop red >=15% pre-ntrv lvl,I,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,79032850,,Donor pneumonectomy,X,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,79132851,,Lung transplant single,A,,58.15,18.51,NA,18.51,,14.61,91.27,91.27,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,2,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,79232852,,Lung transplant with bypass,A,,63.86,20.44,NA,20.44,,15.33,99.63,99.63,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,2,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,79332853,,Lung transplant double,A,,82.37,23.94,NA,23.94,,20.60,126.91,126.91,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,2,2,1,2,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,79432854,,Lung transplant with bypass,A,,87.75,24.82,NA,24.82,,22.00,134.57,134.57,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,2,2,1,2,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1ADDENDUM E. FINAL CY 2026 GEOGRAPHIC PRACTICE COST INDICES (GPCIs) BY STATE AND MEDICARE LOCALITY,,,,,,
2,,,,,,
3Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC),State,Locality Number,Locality Name,2026 PW GPCI (with 1.0 Floor)***,2026 PE GPCI,2026 MP GPCI
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515