No office rate
32651 describes partial pulmonary decortication; 32652 is for total decortication. Base selection on the extent documented in the operative report.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
32652 Thoracoscopic decortication Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Reports thoracoscopic removal of an organized pleural peel across the lung to release restriction, typically for empyema or fibrothorax. Compare 32652 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Colorado.
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 32652 in Colorado?
Colorado 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
$1553.78
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Colorado
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.
Thoracic surgery
About 32652: Thoracoscopic total pulmonary decortication
Reports thoracoscopic removal of an organized pleural peel across the lung to release restriction, typically for empyema or fibrothorax.
During video-assisted thoracic surgery, the surgeon removes an organized fibrous peel from the lung surface to free a restricted lung and permit expansion. This total decortication is commonly performed for organized empyema, fibrothorax, or trapped lung. A parietal pleurectomy, when performed as part of the operation, is included. Thoracic surgeons typically perform the procedure in an operating room, generally in a hospital facility.
Choose this code when the operative work constitutes total pulmonary decortication, rather than the partial decortication represented by 32651. The operative report should describe the pleural disease, the extent of peel removal, and the lung’s release or expansion. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. In a same-session multiple-procedure claim, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard reduction. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 32652
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU28.40 · 60%
- Practice expense (office) RVU11.49 · 24%
- Malpractice RVU7.11 · 15%
3.7K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2046 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.
32652 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
32656 is for thoracoscopic pleurectomy. Use 32652 when the procedure is total pulmonary decortication, including parietal pleurectomy when performed.
No office rate
32653 addresses removal of foreign material or fibrin from the pleural cavity, rather than total removal of an organized peel restricting the lung.
Compare 32652 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
Colorado →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1553.78
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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 32652 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,749
- Code
- 32652
- Physician work
- 28.40
- Practice expense
- 11.49
- Malpractice
- 7.11
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 28.40 | × 1.012 | 28.7408 |
| Practice expense | 11.49 | × 1.064 | 12.2254 |
| Malpractice | 7.11 | × 0.781 | 5.5529 |
| Total RVUs | 46.5191 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Colorado$1553.78
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 28.4 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 11.49 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 7.11 | 0.781 |
(28.4 × 1.012 + 11.49 × 1.064 + 7.11 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $1553.78
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.
32652 billing questions
How do I distinguish 32652 from 32651?
Use 32652 for total pulmonary decortication and 32651 for partial decortication. The operative report should establish the extent of the work.
Is parietal pleurectomy separately reported?
A parietal pleurectomy performed as part of the total decortication is included in 32652.
Does this code have a global period?
Yes. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How does CMS treat bilateral surgery?
CMS pays bilateral surgery reported with modifier 50 at 150%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
What happens when other procedures are performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure 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.
3,7463260F,,Pt cat/pn cat/hist grd docd,M,,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
3,74732650,,Thoracoscopy w/pleurodesis,A,,10.56,6.35,NA,6.35,,2.56,19.47,19.47,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,74832651,,Thoracoscopy remove cortex,A,,18.31,8.27,NA,8.27,,4.55,31.13,31.13,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,74932652,,Thoracoscopy rem totl cortex,A,,28.40,11.49,NA,11.49,,7.11,47.00,47.00,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,75032653,,Thoracoscopy remov fb/fibrin,A,,17.72,8.18,NA,8.18,,4.23,30.13,30.13,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,75132654,,Thoracoscopy contrl bleeding,A,,20.01,8.93,NA,8.93,,4.83,33.77,33.77,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,75232655,,Thoracoscopy resect bullae,A,,15.77,7.70,NA,7.70,,3.95,27.42,27.42,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3401112,CA,69,VISALIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3501112,CA,70,YUBA CITY,1.017,1.096,0.536
3601112,CA,75,REST OF CALIFORNIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3704112,CO,01,COLORADO,1.012,1.064,0.781
3813102,CT,00,CONNECTICUT,1.020,1.077,1.210
3912202,DC,01,DC + MD/VA SUBURBS,1.054,1.178,1.113
4012102,DE,01,DELAWARE,1.005,0.988,0.899