No office rate
Both are open pulmonary decortication; 32225 is for partial release, while 32220 represents complete decortication.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
32225 Lung decortication Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Reports open surgical removal of part of a fibrous covering that restricts lung expansion, commonly for a trapped lung after pleural disease. Compare 32225 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Kentucky.
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 32225 in Kentucky?
Kentucky 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
$915.39
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
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 32225: Partial pulmonary decortication by thoracotomy
Reports open surgical removal of part of a fibrous covering that restricts lung expansion, commonly for a trapped lung after pleural disease.
The surgeon opens the chest and removes part of the fibrous peel constricting the lung, allowing the affected portion to expand more freely. This operation may be used for a trapped lung associated with chronic pleural inflammation, empyema, or retained blood. Thoracic surgeons typically perform it in a hospital operating room. The code represents partial pulmonary decortication through an open approach; video-assisted thoracoscopic decortication is represented by a different code family.
Choose partial rather than complete decortication based on the extent of peel removed, not simply the underlying diagnosis. The operative report should describe the affected lung, the fibrous restriction, the portion released, and the open approach. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For same-session multiple procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 32225
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- 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 RVU16.33 · 57%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.27 · 29%
- Malpractice RVU4.07 · 14%
421
Medicare services in 2024 · #3691 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.
32225 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
32215 concerns removal of parietal pleura. Code 32225 releases the lung by removing a constricting fibrous peel from its surface.
No office rate
Both represent partial pulmonary decortication, but 32651 is for a thoracoscopic operation; 32225 is the open approach.
No office rate
32652 describes complete thoracoscopic pulmonary decortication. Code 32225 describes partial decortication through an open approach.
Compare 32225 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
Kentucky →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$915.39
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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 32225 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,706
- Code
- 32225
- Physician work
- 16.33
- Practice expense
- 8.27
- Malpractice
- 4.07
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 16.33 | × 1.000 | 16.3300 |
| Practice expense | 8.27 | × 0.889 | 7.3520 |
| Malpractice | 4.07 | × 0.915 | 3.7241 |
| Total RVUs | 27.4061 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Kentucky$915.39
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 16.33 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 8.27 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 4.07 | 0.915 |
(16.33 × 1 + 8.27 × 0.889 + 4.07 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $915.39
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.
32225 billing questions
How does 32225 differ from 32220?
Both describe open pulmonary decortication. Use 32225 when the surgeon releases part of the lung; 32220 represents complete decortication.
When is a thoracoscopic decortication code used instead?
Use the thoracoscopic code that matches the extent when the operation is performed by video-assisted thoracoscopy rather than an open thoracotomy. Codes 32651 and 32652 distinguish partial from complete decortication.
Can partial and complete decortication both be reported for the same lung in one operation?
Do not report both to describe the overall extent of decortication at the same site. Select the code that reflects the operation performed.
What documentation supports 32225?
Document the fibrous restriction, the lung area released, the extent of peel removed, and that the surgeon used an open approach.
How are bilateral procedures and assistant services handled?
CMS pays bilateral reporting with modifier 50 at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
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.
3,7033220F,,Hep c quant rna tstng docd,I,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,70432215,,Treat chest lining,A,,12.72,7.55,NA,7.55,,3.19,23.46,23.46,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,70532220,,Release of lung,A,,25.98,13.61,NA,13.61,,6.47,46.06,46.06,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,70632225,,Partial release of lung,A,,16.33,8.27,NA,8.27,,4.07,28.67,28.67,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,7073230F,,Note hring tst w/in 6 mon,I,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,70832310,,Removal of chest lining,A,,14.90,7.98,NA,7.98,,3.75,26.63,26.63,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,70932320,,Free/remove chest lining,A,,26.57,12.72,NA,12.72,,6.60,45.89,45.89,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
5707202,LA,99,REST OF LOUISIANA,1.000,0.885,0.958
5814112,ME,03,SOUTHERN MAINE,1.000,0.991,0.631