$838.91
Use 32550 for inserting a tunneled pleural catheter with a cuff; use 32552 when that catheter is removed.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
32552 Pleural catheter removal Medicare reimbursement rates in Connecticut
Removal of a tunneled pleural catheter with a cuff, commonly reported when drainage is no longer needed or the catheter must be taken out. Compare 32552 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Connecticut.
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 32552 in Connecticut?
Connecticut 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
$202.30
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Connecticut
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$155.90
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Connecticut
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 32552: Tunneled pleural catheter removal
Removal of a tunneled pleural catheter with a cuff, commonly reported when drainage is no longer needed or the catheter must be taken out.
This service removes an indwelling tunneled pleural catheter with its cuff. Pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, and interventional radiologists commonly perform removal in an outpatient procedure area or hospital setting. Patients often have a catheter placed for recurrent pleural effusion, including malignant effusion; removal may follow successful control of the effusion or occur when the catheter is infected or malfunctioning. The work involves freeing the cuff and withdrawing the catheter, rather than aspirating pleural fluid or inserting a replacement device.
Report the service when the documented procedure removes a tunneled pleural catheter with a cuff. The operative or procedure note should identify the catheter removed and document the removal. Related postoperative visits during the 10-day global period are included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; CMS does not recognize co-surgeon or team-surgery payment for this service.
CMS billing rules for 32552
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 10-day global period: related postoperative visits for 10 days 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU2.47 · 43%
- Practice expense (office) RVU2.88 · 50%
- Malpractice RVU0.36 · 6%
4.7K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1910 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.
32552 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Connecticut, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
32551 describes chest-tube insertion for pleural drainage, not removal of a tunneled catheter.
$278.15
32554 is pleural fluid aspiration without imaging guidance. It does not describe removal of an indwelling tunneled catheter.
Compare 32552 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
Connecticut →
Office / nonfacility
$202.30
Facility
$155.90
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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 32552 in Connecticut.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,731
- Code
- 32552
- Physician work
- 2.47
- Practice expense
- 2.88
- Malpractice
- 0.36
GPCI2026.csv
38
- Locality
- Connecticut
- Physician work
- 1.020
- Practice expense
- 1.077
- Malpractice
- 1.210
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 2.47 | × 1.020 | 2.5194 |
| Practice expense | 2.88 | × 1.077 | 3.1018 |
| Malpractice | 0.36 | × 1.210 | 0.4356 |
| Total RVUs | 6.0568 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Connecticut$202.30
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 2.47 | 1.02 |
| Practice expense | 2.88 | 1.077 |
| Malpractice | 0.36 | 1.21 |
(2.47 × 1.02 + 2.88 × 1.077 + 0.36 × 1.21) × $33.4009 = $202.30
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 2.47 | 1.02 |
| Practice expense | 1.59 | 1.077 |
| Malpractice | 0.36 | 1.21 |
(2.47 × 1.02 + 1.59 × 1.077 + 0.36 × 1.21) × $33.4009 = $155.90
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.
32552 billing questions
How does this differ from 32550?
32552 reports removal of a tunneled pleural catheter with a cuff. 32550 reports insertion of that catheter.
Is pleural fluid aspiration included?
The service is catheter removal, not thoracentesis. A separately performed aspiration is a distinct service and should be documented as such.
Can modifier 50 be used for catheters on both sides?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this catheter-removal service.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Document that the catheter was tunneled and had a cuff, identify the catheter removed, and describe the removal performed.
Are postoperative visits separately reported during the global period?
Related postoperative visits during the 10-day global period are included in the 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 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.
3,72832540,,Removal of lung lesion,A,,29.59,11.87,NA,11.87,,7.45,48.91,48.91,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,72932550,,Insert pleural cath,A,,3.82,19.13,,1.10,,0.51,23.46,5.43,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73032551,,Insertion of chest tube,A,,2.96,0.77,NA,0.77,,0.55,4.28,4.28,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73132552,,Remove lung catheter,A,,2.47,2.88,,1.59,,0.36,5.71,4.42,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73232553,,Ins mark thor for rt perq,A,,3.46,10.87,,0.71,,0.38,14.71,4.55,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73332554,,Aspirate pleura w/o imaging,A,,1.77,5.82,,0.39,,0.21,7.80,2.37,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73432555,,Aspirate pleura w/ imaging,A,,2.21,6.88,,0.38,,0.22,9.31,2.81,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
4109102,FL,03,FORT LAUDERDALE,1.000,1.013,1.808