No office rate
60500 represents parathyroid exploration. Add 60512 only when parathyroid tissue is also transplanted during the eligible primary operation.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
60512 Parathyroid transplant Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Report parathyroid autotransplantation when a surgeon implants parathyroid tissue during an eligible parathyroid operation, commonly after removal or loss of blood supply. Compare 60512 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 60512 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
$208.48
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.
Endocrine surgery
About 60512: Parathyroid tissue autotransplantation
Report parathyroid autotransplantation when a surgeon implants parathyroid tissue during an eligible parathyroid operation, commonly after removal or loss of blood supply.
During neck surgery, the surgeon may implant parathyroid tissue when a gland is removed or its blood supply is compromised. The tissue is usually divided into small fragments and placed in a muscle pocket, commonly in the neck. Endocrine and head-and-neck surgeons typically perform this work in the operating room as part of parathyroid exploration or re-exploration.
Report 60512 only with an eligible primary procedure, such as parathyroid exploration, re-exploration, or exploration with mediastinal exploration. The operative note should identify why tissue was transplanted, the tissue implanted, and the implantation site, along with the primary operation. CMS treats this as an add-on code: it is billed with the primary procedure and paid within that procedure’s global period, rather than as a standalone service.
CMS billing rules for 60512
- Global period
- Add-on code: billed only together with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure's global period.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU4.33 · 69%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.08 · 17%
- Malpractice RVU0.91 · 14%
1.6K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2620 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.
60512 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
60502 is for re-exploration of the parathyroid region. It may serve as the primary procedure for 60512 when tissue autotransplantation is performed.
No office rate
60505 describes parathyroid exploration involving mediastinal exploration. It is the primary procedure; 60512 separately identifies parathyroid tissue transplantation performed with it.
Compare 60512 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
$208.48
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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 60512 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,717
- Code
- 60512
- Physician work
- 4.33
- Practice expense
- 1.08
- Malpractice
- 0.91
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 4.33 | × 1.012 | 4.3820 |
| Practice expense | 1.08 | × 1.064 | 1.1491 |
| Malpractice | 0.91 | × 0.781 | 0.7107 |
| Total RVUs | 6.2418 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Colorado$208.48
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 4.33 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 1.08 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 0.91 | 0.781 |
(4.33 × 1.012 + 1.08 × 1.064 + 0.91 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $208.48
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.
60512 billing questions
When is 60512 appropriate during parathyroid surgery?
Report it when the surgeon actually transplants parathyroid tissue, often because a gland was removed or its blood supply was compromised. Exploration or gland removal alone does not describe the transplantation service.
Which primary procedure can be reported with 60512?
It is an add-on to eligible parathyroid procedures, including 60500, 60502, and 60505. Do not report it by itself.
What documentation supports 60512?
The operative report should describe the reason for transplantation, the parathyroid tissue implanted, and where it was placed, as well as the associated primary procedure.
Does 60512 have a separate global period?
No. CMS identifies it as an add-on paid within the primary procedure’s global period.
Is 60512 reported for parathyroid exploration alone?
No. The code represents transplantation of parathyroid tissue, not exploration, identification, or removal without implantation.
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.
6,71460500,,Explore parathyroid glands,A,,15.21,8.09,NA,8.09,,3.39,26.69,26.69,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,71560502,,Re-explore parathyroids,A,,20.62,10.52,NA,10.52,,4.87,36.01,36.01,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,71660505,,Explore parathyroid glands,A,,22.48,10.18,NA,10.18,,3.27,35.93,35.93,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,71760512,,Autotransplant parathyroid,A,,4.33,1.08,NA,1.08,,0.91,6.32,6.32,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,71860520,,Removal of thymus gland,A,,16.73,8.63,NA,8.63,,4.07,29.43,29.43,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,71960521,,Removal of thymus gland,A,,18.70,8.99,NA,8.99,,4.68,32.37,32.37,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,72060522,,Removal of thymus gland,A,,22.89,10.38,NA,10.38,,5.66,38.93,38.93,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,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