Billing code 31541: Tumor excisionMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Reports operative direct laryngoscopy to excise a laryngeal tumor using an operating microscope or telescope, rather than biopsy alone.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 31541 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 31541 covers
An otolaryngologist performs direct operative laryngoscopy to expose and remove a tumor in the larynx, using an operating microscope or telescope for visualization. The service is typically performed in an operating room, often under general anesthesia, for a lesion that requires excision rather than tissue sampling alone. The excised tissue may be sent for pathology; the pathology examination is a separate service when performed by a laboratory.
Select this code when the operative report supports tumor excision during direct laryngoscopy and documents use of the operating microscope or telescope. Excision without that operating scope is reported with 31540; biopsy alone is a different service. CMS assigns 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. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery, and 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.
31541 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Unavailable | $221.37 |
How the 31541 rate is calculated
Each of 31541’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 · 31541
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 4.41Practice expense 1.64Malpractice 0.64
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 31541
The CMS indicators that decide how 31541 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 31541
Tumor excision
| 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) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| 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
31541 without 51 · national facility
$223.45
Tumor excision
31541-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$111.73
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%).
31541 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
31541 vs 31540 vs 31536 vs 31535 vs 31545: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 31540Laryngeal excision
- Use 31541 when the operative report documents an operating microscope or telescope during tumor excision. Use 31540 for the corresponding excision without that scope.
- 31536Laryngeal biopsy
- 31536 is for laryngoscopic biopsy with an operating microscope or telescope. Choose 31541 when the documented service is excision of a tumor, not biopsy alone.
- 31535Laryngeal biopsy
- 31535 reports laryngoscopic biopsy without the operating microscope or telescope. It does not describe excision of a tumor.
- 31545Vocal cord excision
- 31545 is associated with the operative vocal-cord lesion service. Use 31541 when the documented procedure is the laryngoscopic excision of a laryngeal tumor described by this code.
31541 billing questions
How does this differ from 31540?
Both report operative direct laryngoscopy with tumor excision. Report 31541 when the operative documentation supports use of an operating microscope or telescope; 31540 is the corresponding service without that scope.
Can this be reported for a biopsy without tumor removal?
No. For laryngeal tissue sampling without excision of the tumor, consider the laryngoscopy-with-biopsy code that matches whether an operating microscope or telescope was used.
Is the pathology examination included?
The surgical code reports the laryngoscopic excision, not the laboratory's examination of the removed tissue. The pathology service may be reported separately by the laboratory when performed.
Does the 0-day global period include same-day care?
Yes. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the procedure's 0-day global period.
Can modifier 50 or an assistant-at-surgery claim be used?
Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What happens when another related endoscopy is performed in the same session?
CMS endoscopy family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together; the services are not priced as unrelated procedures.
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 31541 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 →