Billing code 32994: Lung tumor ablationMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Report percutaneous cryoablation to reduce or eradicate one or more pulmonary tumors, including involved pleura or chest wall, with imaging guidance.
Medicare pays $4,950.61 for 32994 in the office in Alaska (Alaska*). Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 9 sections
What 32994 covers
This service uses image-guided probes inserted through the skin to freeze and destroy one or more pulmonary tumors. It may include tumors involving the pleura or chest wall. Interventional radiologists commonly perform it in a hospital or other facility setting, often using CT to guide probe placement and monitor treatment. The code identifies cryoablation, not radiofrequency or microwave ablation.
Report the code when the documented treatment is percutaneous cryoablation; the code includes imaging guidance and covers one or more tumors. The record should support the tumor site, percutaneous approach, cryoablation method, and image-guided treatment. It has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When other procedures are performed in the same session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and other procedures at 50%. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, payment is 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be allowed; 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.
32994 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | $4,950.61 | $516.21 |
How the 32994 rate is calculated
Each of 32994’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 · 32994
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 8.80Practice expense 126.26Malpractice 1.00
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 32994
The CMS indicators that decide how 32994 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 32994
Lung tumor ablation
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
32994 without 50 · national office
$4,544.53
Lung tumor ablation
32994-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$6,816.80
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).
32994 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
32994 vs 32998 vs 32999: national Medicare rates
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How to choose
- 32998Lung tumor ablation
- Choose 32994 for cryoablation and 32998 for radiofrequency ablation; both describe percutaneous pulmonary tumor treatment with imaging guidance.
- 32999Unlisted px lungs & pleura
- Use 32999 for an unlisted lung or pleura procedure when a specific code does not describe the service; use 32994 for percutaneous cryoablation.
32994 billing questions
How does this differ from 32998?
32994 is for percutaneous cryoablation. Use 32998 when the pulmonary tumor is treated with radiofrequency ablation.
Is imaging guidance separately reportable?
No. Imaging guidance is included in 32994.
Does the code cover treatment of multiple tumors?
Yes. The code covers treatment of one or more pulmonary tumors in the described percutaneous cryoablation service.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
Medicare applies the standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are paid at 50%.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral treatment?
The CMS facts identify 32994 as bilateral; modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Document the bilateral service.
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
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