Billing code 31660: Bronchial thermoplastyMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Bronchial thermoplasty treats airway smooth muscle in one lung lobe during bronchoscopy, typically for severe asthma requiring this specialized intervention.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 31660 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 31660 covers
A pulmonologist delivers controlled radiofrequency energy through a bronchoscope to airway walls in one lung lobe. The treatment targets airway smooth muscle and is used for selected patients with severe asthma. It is generally performed in a hospital or other procedural setting; treatment of additional lobes may occur in separate sessions. The bronchoscopic access and energy delivery are part of the thermoplasty service.
Report this code when treatment is limited to one lobe; documentation should identify the lobe treated and the procedure performed. For treatment of two or more lobes, compare code 31661. The service has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When related endoscopies are performed together, CMS endoscopy-family pricing applies. Do not append modifier 50. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, 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.
31660 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Unavailable | $168.84 |
How the 31660 rate is calculated
Each of 31660’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 · 31660
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work3.90
3.90 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.84
0.84 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.34
0.34 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
5.0800
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$169.68
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 31660
The CMS indicators that decide how 31660 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 31660
Bronchial thermoplasty
| 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
31660 without 51 · national facility
$169.68
Bronchial thermoplasty
31660-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$84.84
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%).
31660 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 31661Bronchial thermoplasty
- This code is for thermoplasty of one lobe; 31661 applies when two or more lobes are treated.
- 31628Lung biopsy
- 31628 reports transbronchial lung biopsy, not radiofrequency treatment of airway smooth muscle.
- 31629Bronchoscopic biopsy
- 31629 reports transbronchial needle biopsy; it does not describe bronchial thermoplasty.
31660 billing questions
When should 31660 be used instead of 31661?
Use 31660 when thermoplasty treats one lobe. Code 31661 is for treatment of two or more lobes.
Can the bronchoscopy be billed separately?
The bronchoscopic access used to deliver thermoplasty is part of the service. Do not separately report scope insertion solely for that treatment.
Should modifier 50 be appended for treatment on both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code. Select the code based on the number of lobes treated.
What documentation supports reporting 31660?
The procedure report should identify the lobe treated and document bronchoscopic thermoplasty. The record should support that treatment was limited to one lobe.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be billed?
CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service. 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
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