No office rate
31780 is the cervical counterpart. Use 31781 for intrathoracic tracheal resection and reconstruction.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
31781 Tracheal reconstruction Medicare reimbursement rates in Iowa
Reports resection and reconstruction of an intrathoracic tracheal segment, such as for selected stenosis or structural disease requiring operative repair. Compare 31781 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Iowa.
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 31781 in Iowa?
Iowa has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$1128.55
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Iowa
One mapped payment locality.
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.
Thoracic surgery
About 31781: Intrathoracic tracheal resection and reconstruction
Reports resection and reconstruction of an intrathoracic tracheal segment, such as for selected stenosis or structural disease requiring operative repair.
A thoracic surgeon or otolaryngologist uses this service when a diseased segment of the intrathoracic trachea is removed and the airway is reconstructed, commonly by joining the remaining ends. Clinical situations may include significant tracheal narrowing or selected tracheal lesions when segmental resection is part of the operative plan. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room under general anesthesia; the operative report should establish the intrathoracic site and describe the resection and reconstruction.
Report this code for intrathoracic tracheal resection and reconstruction, rather than a repair that does not involve segmental resection or a cervical procedure. The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the 90-day global period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 31781
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU24.23 · 66%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.91 · 24%
- Malpractice RVU3.54 · 10%
18
Medicare services in 2024 · #5971 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.
31781 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Iowa, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
31760 is intrathoracic tracheoplasty. Choose 31781 when the documented procedure includes resection of a tracheal segment and reconstruction.
No office rate
31766 addresses reconstruction of the carina, the tracheal bifurcation. This code applies to intrathoracic tracheal resection and reconstruction outside that distinct carinal service.
Compare 31781 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.
1 of 1 payment localities
Iowa →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1128.55
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 31781 in Iowa.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,674
- Code
- 31781
- Physician work
- 24.23
- Practice expense
- 8.91
- Malpractice
- 3.54
GPCI2026.csv
53
- Locality
- Iowa
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.915
- Malpractice
- 0.397
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 24.23 | × 1.000 | 24.2300 |
| Practice expense | 8.91 | × 0.915 | 8.1527 |
| Malpractice | 3.54 | × 0.397 | 1.4054 |
| Total RVUs | 33.7880 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Iowa$1128.55
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 24.23 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 8.91 | 0.915 |
| Malpractice | 3.54 | 0.397 |
(24.23 × 1 + 8.91 × 0.915 + 3.54 × 0.397) × $33.4009 = $1128.55
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
31781 billing questions
How does this differ from code 31780?
This code is for intrathoracic tracheal resection and reconstruction; 31780 is the cervical counterpart. The operative report should support the site.
When would 31760 be a better fit?
31760 describes intrathoracic tracheoplasty. Use this code when the documented operation includes resection of an intrathoracic tracheal segment and reconstruction, rather than tracheoplasty without that segmental resection.
Is modifier 50 appropriate?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeons are paid only when supporting documentation is provided; team surgery is not permitted.
How are other same-session procedures paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50% when performed in the same session.
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.
3,67131770,,Repair/graft of bronchus,A,,22.95,8.80,NA,8.80,,5.77,37.52,37.52,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67231775,,Reconstruct bronchus,A,,23.98,9.57,NA,9.57,,6.04,39.59,39.59,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67331780,,Reconstruct windpipe,A,,19.34,8.69,NA,8.69,,2.82,30.85,30.85,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67431781,,Reconstruct windpipe,A,,24.23,8.91,NA,8.91,,3.54,36.68,36.68,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67531785,,Remove windpipe lesion,A,,17.89,7.01,NA,7.01,,2.61,27.51,27.51,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67631786,,Remove windpipe lesion,A,,24.78,9.72,NA,9.72,,6.24,40.74,40.74,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67731800,,Repair of windpipe injury,A,,7.98,10.15,NA,10.15,,1.17,19.30,19.30,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5006102,IL,15,SUBURBAN CHICAGO,1.007,1.027,1.772
5106102,IL,99,REST OF ILLINOIS,1.000,0.913,1.563
5208102,IN,00,INDIANA,1.000,0.927,0.486
5305102,IA,00,IOWA,1.000,0.915,0.397
5405202,KS,00,KANSAS,1.000,0.904,0.504
5515102,KY,00,KENTUCKY,1.000,0.889,0.915
5607202,LA,01,NEW ORLEANS,1.000,0.941,1.136