Billing code 31647: Bronchial valve placementMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Bronchoscopic placement of one-way valves in the first targeted lung lobe for bronchoscopic lung-volume reduction in selected patients with severe emphysema.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 31647 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 31647 covers
This procedure uses a flexible or rigid bronchoscope to place one-way bronchial valve(s) in the airways supplying a selected lung lobe. The valves limit air entering a hyperinflated lobe while allowing trapped air to escape, supporting bronchoscopic lung-volume reduction for selected patients with severe emphysema. Pulmonologists and thoracic surgeons typically perform the procedure in a hospital or ambulatory facility, with target selection guided by clinical assessment.
Report 31647 for the first lobe treated, regardless of how many valves are placed in that lobe; report 31651 for each additional lobe treated. Document the target lobe, valve placement, and number of lobes treated to support the initial-lobe service and any add-on service. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When related endoscopies are performed together, CMS endoscopy-family pricing applies. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this descriptor and anatomy. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery and does not permit co-surgeons or team surgery for this service.
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.
31647 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Unavailable | $183.99 |
How the 31647 rate is calculated
Each of 31647’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 · 31647
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work4.05
4.05 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.11
1.11 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.38
0.38 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
5.5400
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$185.04
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 31647
The CMS indicators that decide how 31647 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 31647
Bronchial valve placement
| 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
31647 without 51 · national facility
$185.04
Bronchial valve placement
31647-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$92.52
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%).
31647 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 31651Bronchial valve
- Use 31647 for the initial lobe treated and 31651 for each additional lobe treated. The distinction is the lobe’s sequence, not the number of valves placed.
- 31648Valve removal
- 31648 describes removal of valves from the initial lobe; 31647 describes their placement in the initial lobe.
- 31649Valve removal
- 31649 describes removal of valves from an additional lobe. It is not the add-on code for placing valves in another lobe; that is 31651.
31647 billing questions
When should 31647 be used instead of 31651?
Use 31647 for the first lobe treated with bronchial valves. Use 31651 for each additional lobe treated during the procedure.
Are units based on valves or lobes?
31647 represents the initial lobe, not each individual valve. The number of valves placed in that lobe does not change the initial-lobe selection.
Can the bronchoscopy used to place the valves be reported separately?
The bronchoscopic approach for valve placement is part of this service. When related endoscopies are performed together, CMS endoscopy-family pricing applies.
Is modifier 50 appropriate for bilateral valve placement?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this descriptor and anatomy. Report the initial and any additional treated lobes using the applicable valve codes.
How does 31647 differ from 31648?
31647 reports initial-lobe valve placement; 31648 reports initial-lobe valve removal. They describe different services, not different units of the same placement.
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
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