Billing code 41120: Partial glossectomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports surgical removal of less than half the tongue, commonly for an oral tongue tumor requiring resection beyond a limited lesion excision.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 41120 in Alaska.
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 41120 covers
An otolaryngologist, head and neck surgeon, or oral and maxillofacial surgeon may remove a portion of the tongue to treat a tumor or other condition requiring partial glossectomy. The operation is commonly performed in a hospital operating room, often under general anesthesia. For an oral tongue cancer, the surgeon removes the affected portion as part of definitive treatment; this is more extensive than simply sampling or locally excising a small lesion.
Select this code when the operative report supports removal of less than half the tongue. Document the condition treated, the site and extent of resection, and the operative work so the scope can be distinguished from a hemiglossectomy or a limited lesion excision. The code has 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 is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. 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.
41120 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | Unavailable | $1,171.34 |
How the 41120 rate is calculated
Each of 41120’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 · 41120
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work10.86
10.86 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense16.80
16.80 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.61
1.61 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
29.2700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$977.64
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 41120
41120 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 41120
Partial glossectomy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.09/0.81/0.10 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 41120
Partial glossectomy
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
41120 without 51 · national facility
$977.64
Partial glossectomy
41120-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$488.82
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%).
41120 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 41130Tongue resection
- 41120 is for removal of less than half the tongue; 41130 is for a hemiglossectomy.
- 41110Tongue lesion excision
- 41110 reports excision of a tongue lesion without closure. Choose 41120 when the documented operation is a partial glossectomy involving less than half the tongue.
- 41112Tongue excision
- 41112 reports tongue lesion excision with closure. 41120 represents a broader partial tongue resection, not just a localized lesion excision.
- 41140Total glossectomy
- 41140 describes total glossectomy; 41120 is limited to removal of less than half the tongue.
41120 billing questions
How does 41120 differ from 41130?
41120 applies when less than half the tongue is removed. 41130 describes a hemiglossectomy.
When is this code more appropriate than a tongue lesion excision code?
Use 41120 when the operation is a partial glossectomy involving less than half the tongue, rather than a limited excision of a discrete lesion. The operative report should support the broader resection.
Can a tongue biopsy be reported with this procedure?
A biopsy code describes tissue sampling, while 41120 describes partial tongue removal. If a separate biopsy is documented, evaluate whether it represents distinct work rather than assuming it is separately reportable.
Does the 90-day global period include postoperative visits?
It includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can modifier 50 be used for removal from both sides of the tongue?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
How are assistant and co-surgeon services handled?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery 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
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