Billing code 31640: Bronchoscopic tumor removalMedicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Bronchoscopic tumor excision removes an endobronchial growth through a rigid or flexible scope when the lesion is taken out rather than simply biopsied or destroyed.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 31640 in Florida.
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 31640 covers
This service removes a tumor growing within an airway through a rigid or flexible bronchoscope. Pulmonologists and thoracic surgeons commonly perform it in a hospital procedure suite or operating room, for example to remove an endobronchial growth that narrows or obstructs a bronchus. The procedure may yield tissue for pathologic examination, but the defining service is excision of the tumor, not sampling alone.
Report the code when the operative note supports bronchoscopic removal of tumor tissue. Document the airway site, the lesion treated, and the excision performed; distinguish removal from destruction or treatment of stenosis by another method. Medicare 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. Medicare 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.
Where 31640 pays more and less in Florida
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | Unavailable | $230.54 |
| Miami | Unavailable | $242.33 |
| Rest Of Florida | Unavailable | $223.62 |
How the 31640 rate is calculated
Each of 31640’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 · 31640
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work4.81
4.81 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.28
1.28 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.44
0.44 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
6.5300
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$218.11
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 31640
The CMS indicators that decide how 31640 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 31640
Bronchoscopic tumor removal
| 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
31640 without 51 · national facility
$218.11
Bronchoscopic tumor removal
31640-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$109.06
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%).
31640 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 31641Therapeutic bronchoscopy
- Choose 31640 for excision of tumor tissue. Choose 31641 when the bronchoscopic treatment destroys tumor or relieves stenosis without excising the tumor.
- 31635Bronchoscopy
- 31635 applies to bronchoscopic removal of a foreign body. It does not describe removal of an endobronchial tumor.
- 31630Bronchoscopy
- 31630 is for bronchoscopic airway dilation. Use 31640 when the service is excision of a tumor, rather than dilation of a narrowed airway.
31640 billing questions
How is tumor excision different from tumor destruction?
Use 31640 when the bronchoscopic service removes tumor tissue. Code 31641 is the relevant comparison when the tumor is destroyed, or stenosis is treated, rather than excised.
Does a tumor biopsy alone support 31640?
No. The documentation should show that the tumor was excised, not merely sampled; a biopsy-only service is not tumor excision.
What should the procedure note document?
Identify the airway site and tumor, and describe the bronchoscopic excision performed. The note should make clear that tissue was removed rather than only biopsied or destroyed.
How does Medicare price related endoscopies performed together?
Endoscopy family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed in the same session. The applicable payment reflects that family-pricing rule.
Can modifier 50 or an assistant-at-surgery claim be reported?
Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for it; 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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