$240.88–$265.22
Choose 32554 for pleural-fluid aspiration without imaging guidance; 32555 is for aspiration performed with imaging guidance.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
32555 Thoracentesis Medicare reimbursement rates in Georgia
Reports needle or catheter aspiration of pleural fluid with imaging guidance, typically to investigate or relieve a pleural effusion. Compare 32555 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 32555 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
$287.56–$316.34
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$93.90–$95.76
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 procedure
About 32555: Pleural fluid aspiration with imaging
Reports needle or catheter aspiration of pleural fluid with imaging guidance, typically to investigate or relieve a pleural effusion.
A clinician uses a needle or catheter to remove fluid from the pleural space, with imaging guidance during the procedure. Thoracentesis may be performed to obtain fluid for diagnostic testing or to relieve symptoms from an effusion. Pulmonologists, interventional radiologists, and other clinicians who perform pleural procedures commonly provide it in hospital or outpatient settings.
Report this code when imaging guidance is used for the aspiration; the record should support the pleural-fluid indication, side treated, procedure performed, and use of imaging. The same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in its 0-day global period. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. For bilateral treatment, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 32555
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- 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 RVU2.21 · 24%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.88 · 74%
- Malpractice RVU0.22 · 2%
210.4K
Medicare services in 2024 · #376 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.
32555 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Georgia, from the same CMS release.
$762.71–$855.72
32556 covers pleural catheter placement without imaging for drainage. 32555 is fluid aspiration with imaging, not catheter placement for ongoing drainage.
$592.27–$659.06
32557 covers pleural catheter placement with imaging for drainage; 32555 covers aspiration of pleural fluid with imaging guidance.
Compare 32555 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
$316.34
Facility
$95.76
Rest Of Georgia →
Office / nonfacility
$287.56
Facility
$93.90
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32555 billing questions
When should 32555 be chosen over 32554?
Use 32555 when imaging guidance is used during pleural-fluid aspiration. Code 32554 describes aspiration without imaging guidance.
Can imaging guidance be billed separately?
Imaging guidance is part of 32555. Do not report separate imaging guidance for that same aspiration.
How is bilateral thoracentesis reported?
For bilateral treatment, report the procedure with modifier 50; CMS pays it at 150%.
What documentation supports 32555?
Document the indication for aspiration, the side treated, the fluid-removal procedure, and that imaging guidance was used.
Does 32555 describe ongoing pleural drainage?
No. It describes aspiration of pleural fluid. Catheter-placement codes such as 32556 or 32557 apply when a catheter is inserted for drainage.
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.
3,73132552,,Remove lung catheter,A,,2.47,2.88,,1.59,,0.36,5.71,4.42,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73232553,,Ins mark thor for rt perq,A,,3.46,10.87,,0.71,,0.38,14.71,4.55,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73332554,,Aspirate pleura w/o imaging,A,,1.77,5.82,,0.39,,0.21,7.80,2.37,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73432555,,Aspirate pleura w/ imaging,A,,2.21,6.88,,0.38,,0.22,9.31,2.81,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73532556,,Insert cath pleura w/o image,A,,2.44,22.37,,0.54,,0.37,25.18,3.35,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73632557,,Insert cath pleura w/ image,A,,3.04,16.03,,0.50,,0.33,19.40,3.87,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73732560,,Treat pleurodesis w/agent,A,,1.50,6.54,,0.32,,0.23,8.27,2.05,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00