$701.58
Choose 32400 for pleural tissue sampled percutaneously; choose 32408 when the needle core biopsy targets lung or mediastinal tissue.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
32400 Pleural biopsy Medicare reimbursement rates in Arkansas
Reports percutaneous needle sampling of pleural tissue when a clinician needs a tissue diagnosis from the lining around the lungs. Compare 32400 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Arkansas.
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 32400 in Arkansas?
Arkansas 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
$148.92
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Arkansas
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$68.29
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Arkansas
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.
Pulmonary procedure
About 32400: Percutaneous pleural tissue biopsy
Reports percutaneous needle sampling of pleural tissue when a clinician needs a tissue diagnosis from the lining around the lungs.
A clinician passes a needle through the chest wall to obtain pleural tissue for diagnostic evaluation. Pulmonologists, interventional radiologists, and thoracic surgeons may perform the procedure, often in a hospital setting. The target is the pleura, not a lung nodule or mediastinal mass; aspiration of pleural fluid alone is a different service.
Report this code when the needle biopsy samples pleural tissue, and document the target, percutaneous approach, and reason tissue was needed. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 32400
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU1.72 · 35%
- Practice expense (office) RVU3.08 · 62%
- Malpractice RVU0.18 · 4%
998
Medicare services in 2024 · #2973 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.
32400 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Arkansas, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
This code describes percutaneous needle sampling of pleura. Code 32609 is used when pleural biopsy is performed during diagnostic thoracoscopy.
$275.00
Code 32555 describes image-guided aspiration of pleural fluid. Use 32400 when the procedure obtains pleural tissue rather than fluid.
Compare 32400 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
Arkansas →
Office / nonfacility
$148.92
Facility
$68.29
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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 32400 in Arkansas.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,710
- Code
- 32400
- Physician work
- 1.72
- Practice expense
- 3.08
- Malpractice
- 0.18
GPCI2026.csv
7
- Locality
- Arkansas
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.859
- Malpractice
- 0.515
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 1.72 | × 1.000 | 1.7200 |
| Practice expense | 3.08 | × 0.859 | 2.6457 |
| Malpractice | 0.18 | × 0.515 | 0.0927 |
| Total RVUs | 4.4584 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Arkansas$148.92
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.72 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 3.08 | 0.859 |
| Malpractice | 0.18 | 0.515 |
(1.72 × 1 + 3.08 × 0.859 + 0.18 × 0.515) × $33.4009 = $148.92
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.72 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.27 | 0.859 |
| Malpractice | 0.18 | 0.515 |
(1.72 × 1 + 0.27 × 0.859 + 0.18 × 0.515) × $33.4009 = $68.29
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.
32400 billing questions
How do I distinguish this from 32408?
Use 32400 for needle sampling of pleural tissue. Code 32408 describes percutaneous core biopsy of lung or mediastinal tissue.
Can I report this for pleural fluid removal?
No. This code is for tissue sampling. Thoracentesis codes describe pleural fluid aspiration.
Is modifier 50 appropriate for a biopsy on both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What documentation supports reporting the biopsy?
Document that the target was pleura, that tissue was obtained by a percutaneous needle approach, and the clinical reason for tissue sampling.
How does the multiple-procedure reduction affect payment?
For procedures performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 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 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.
3,7073230F,,Note hring tst w/in 6 mon,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
3,70832310,,Removal of chest lining,A,,14.90,7.98,NA,7.98,,3.75,26.63,26.63,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,70932320,,Free/remove chest lining,A,,26.57,12.72,NA,12.72,,6.60,45.89,45.89,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,71032400,,Needle biopsy chest lining,A,,1.72,3.08,,0.27,,0.18,4.98,2.17,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,71132408,,Core ndl bx lng/med perq,A,,3.10,20.64,,0.47,,0.34,24.08,3.91,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,71232440,,Remove lung pneumonectomy,A,,26.60,11.31,NA,11.31,,6.69,44.60,44.60,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,71332442,,Sleeve pneumonectomy,A,,55.06,15.67,NA,15.67,,13.89,84.62,84.62,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
801112,CA,54,BAKERSFIELD,1.019,1.096,0.609
901112,CA,55,CHICO,1.017,1.096,0.536
1001182,CA,71,EL CENTRO,1.017,1.096,0.541