Billing code 31513: Vocal-fold injectionMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Reports therapeutic injection into a vocal fold under indirect laryngoscopic visualization, commonly to improve glottic closure in vocal-fold paralysis or atrophy.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 31513 in Delaware.
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 31513 covers
An otolaryngologist uses indirect laryngoscopic visualization while injecting material into a vocal fold to improve closure and voice function. Common clinical reasons include vocal-fold paralysis or atrophy causing glottic insufficiency. The service may be performed in an office or facility; the record should identify the indication, injection site and approach, and the material used when known.
Select this code when the therapeutic injection is performed with an indirect approach, rather than direct laryngoscopy. Document the treatment and visualization performed; diagnostic visualization alone does not support the injection service. The procedure has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy family pricing applies. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. An assistant at surgery is paid only when medical necessity is documented; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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.
31513 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Unavailable | $112.50 |
How the 31513 rate is calculated
Each of 31513’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 · 31513
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 2.05Practice expense 1.06Malpractice 0.29
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 31513
The CMS indicators that decide how 31513 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 31513
Vocal-fold injection
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 3 | Endoscopy family rules apply. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
31513 without 51 · national facility
$113.56
Vocal-fold injection
31513-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$56.78
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%).
31513 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
31513 vs 31505 vs 31570 vs 31571: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 31505Laryngoscopy
- 31505 is for diagnostic indirect laryngoscopy. Choose 31513 when therapeutic vocal-fold injection is performed.
- 31570Vocal fold injection
- 31570 uses direct laryngoscopy for therapeutic injection; 31513 is the indirect approach.
- 31571Vocal fold injection
- 31571 is a direct laryngoscopic injection performed with an operating microscope or telescope; 31513 describes the indirect approach.
31513 billing questions
When should this code be chosen instead of 31570?
Use 31513 for vocal-fold injection performed with indirect laryngoscopy. Code 31570 describes injection performed using direct laryngoscopy.
Does bilateral injection require modifier 50?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for its descriptor or anatomy.
What documentation supports reporting the injection?
Document the clinical reason for treatment, the vocal-fold site, the injection performed, and the indirect laryngoscopic visualization and approach.
Can a related endoscopy be separately reported at the same session?
When related endoscopies are performed together, CMS endoscopy family pricing applies. Report the services performed, with documentation supporting each service.
Is same-day preoperative or postoperative care separately included?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care in the procedure.
What applies if an assistant or another surgeon participates?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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
Fee sheets
Put 31513 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →