$263.67–$287.53
Choose 31624 for bronchoalveolar lavage, with fluid instilled into and retrieved from a lung segment. Choose 31622 for diagnostic bronchoscopy with washing.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
31624 Bronchoscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Georgia
Report this service when a bronchoscopist instills and retrieves fluid from the lower airways to collect a bronchoalveolar lavage specimen. Compare 31624 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Georgia.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 31624 in Georgia?
Georgia has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$266.97–$291.20
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$119.49–$123.22
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Pulmonary endoscopy
About 31624: Diagnostic bronchoscopy with lavage
Report this service when a bronchoscopist instills and retrieves fluid from the lower airways to collect a bronchoalveolar lavage specimen.
A pulmonologist or other qualified bronchoscopist passes a scope into the airways, instills sterile fluid into a selected lung segment, and suctions it back for testing. The lavage specimen may be sent for microbiology or cytology during evaluation of suspected pulmonary infection or diffuse lung disease. The service is commonly performed in a hospital or ambulatory procedure setting as part of diagnostic bronchoscopy.
Select this code when the bronchoscopic sampling method is lavage, rather than airway washing, brushing, or tissue biopsy. The report should identify the procedure and sampled area, and the record should support why lavage was performed. 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. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 31624
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
- Multiple procedures
- Endoscopy family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU2.56 · 30%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.77 · 67%
- Malpractice RVU0.24 · 3%
101K
Medicare services in 2024 · #553 by national volume
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.
31624 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Georgia, from the same CMS release.
$281.87–$308.16
Code 31623 represents specimen collection by bronchoscopic brushing; 31624 represents collection by lavage.
$356.56–$390.79
Use 31625 when bronchoscopic forceps sampling obtains tissue for biopsy. Lavage collects fluid for testing and is reported with 31624.
$380.16–$415.57
Code 31628 is for bronchoscopic lung biopsy; 31624 is for bronchoalveolar lavage. The method of specimen collection distinguishes them.
Compare 31624 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
2 of 2 payment localities
Atlanta →
Office / nonfacility
$291.20
Facility
$123.22
Rest Of Georgia →
Office / nonfacility
$266.97
Facility
$119.49
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31624 billing questions
How is lavage different from a bronchial washing?
Use 31624 for bronchoalveolar lavage, which involves instilling fluid into a lung segment and retrieving it for sampling. Code 31622 describes diagnostic bronchoscopy with washing instead.
Is lavage reported for each segment or saline aliquot?
The service is lavage performed through bronchoscopy, not a separate service for each fluid aliquot. Document the sampled area and procedure performed.
Can lavage be reported with a bronchoscopic biopsy?
A lavage and a biopsy are distinct sampling methods, but related endoscopies performed together are subject to CMS endoscopy-family pricing. The record should support each service reported.
Should modifier 50 be appended for lavage of both lungs?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; modifier 50 should not be used.
Does the code include same-day recovery care?
Yes. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare 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 indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
3,63031615,,Trcheobrnchsc est trachs inc,A,,1.79,3.14,,1.01,,0.25,5.18,3.05,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,63131622,,Dx bronchoscope/wash,A,,2.47,5.68,,0.83,,0.30,8.45,3.60,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,63231623,,Dx bronchoscope/brush,A,,2.56,6.27,,0.77,,0.24,9.07,3.57,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,1,0,0,9,31622,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,63331624,,Dx bronchoscope/lavage,A,,2.56,5.77,,0.82,,0.24,8.57,3.62,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,1,0,0,9,31622,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,63431625,,Bronchoscopy w/biopsy(s),A,,3.03,8.17,,0.88,,0.30,11.50,4.21,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,1,0,0,9,31622,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,63531626,,Bronchoscopy w/markers,A,,3.81,21.78,,1.08,,0.44,26.03,5.33,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,63631627,,Navigational bronchoscopy,A,,1.95,32.44,,0.40,,0.20,34.59,2.55,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00