Billing code 43352: EsophagotomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Iowa
Reports an operative thoracic opening of the esophagus, commonly to reach and remove an obstructing foreign body through a chest approach.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 43352 in Iowa.
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 43352 covers
This service involves opening the esophagus through a thoracic operative approach to access its lumen, commonly for removal of a foreign body. A surgeon performs it in an operating room, typically when endoscopic retrieval is unsuitable or unsuccessful, or when the clinical situation requires direct operative access. The operative report should establish the thoracic approach and describe the esophageal incision and the work performed through it.
Report 43352 for the thoracic esophagotomy rather than a code for esophageal repair or reconstruction. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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.
43352 in Iowa
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | Unavailable | $920.05 |
How the 43352 rate is calculated
Each of 43352’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 · 43352
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work17.36
17.36 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense9.24
9.24 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice4.36
4.36 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
30.9600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,034.09
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 43352
43352 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 43352
Esophagotomy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.09/0.81/0.10 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 43352
Esophagotomy
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
43352 without 51 · national facility
$1,034.09
Esophagotomy
43352-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$517.05
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%).
43352 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 43351Esophagotomy
- Both codes describe esophagotomy services. Use the code matching the operative approach documented in the full descriptor; 43352 represents the thoracic approach.
- 43300Esophageal repair
- 43300 is an esophageal repair service. Choose it when the operative work is repair, not the thoracic esophageal opening reported with 43352.
- 43310Esophageal repair
- 43310 describes another esophageal repair service. The operative objective distinguishes it from the esophagotomy represented by 43352.
43352 billing questions
How is 43352 distinguished from 43351?
These are neighboring esophagotomy codes; select based on the operative approach documented in the full code descriptors. The operative report should make clear that the esophagus was opened through a thoracic approach for 43352.
When should a repair code be used instead?
Use an esophageal repair code when the procedure repairs an esophageal defect or injury rather than performing the thoracic esophagotomy represented by 43352. The operative report should support the actual work performed.
Is modifier 50 appropriate?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this service.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50%.
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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