No office rate
Use 32609 when the thoracoscopic service includes pleural tissue sampling; use 32601 for diagnostic inspection without biopsy.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
32601 Diagnostic thoracoscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Reports thoracoscopic inspection of the chest for diagnosis when the procedure does not include a biopsy or a more definitive thoracic intervention. Compare 32601 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 32601 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
$277.26
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 32601: Diagnostic thoracoscopic inspection
Reports thoracoscopic inspection of the chest for diagnosis when the procedure does not include a biopsy or a more definitive thoracic intervention.
A thoracic surgeon uses a scope inserted through the chest wall to inspect the pleural space and visible thoracic structures for diagnostic evaluation. This may be performed in a hospital operating room when imaging or other evaluation has not established the cause of a pleural or intrathoracic finding. The service is limited to diagnostic inspection; tissue sampling or a therapeutic procedure calls for the code describing that work instead.
Choose this code when the operative report supports thoracoscopic examination without biopsy or a more definitive procedure. Document the reason for the examination and the findings. The CMS global period is 0 days, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 32601
- 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU5.36 · 62%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.96 · 23%
- Malpractice RVU1.31 · 15%
809
Medicare services in 2024 · #3136 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.
32601 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
32608 applies when a lung nodule is biopsied thoracoscopically. Inspection without nodule tissue sampling is the distinction for 32601.
No office rate
32668 describes a thoracoscopic wedge resection for diagnosis, not inspection alone. Report the resection code when lung tissue is removed in a wedge.
Compare 32601 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
$277.26
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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 32601 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,740
- Code
- 32601
- Physician work
- 5.36
- Practice expense
- 1.96
- Malpractice
- 1.31
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 5.36 | × 1.000 | 5.3600 |
| Practice expense | 1.96 | × 0.889 | 1.7424 |
| Malpractice | 1.31 | × 0.915 | 1.1986 |
| Total RVUs | 8.3011 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Kentucky$277.26
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.36 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 1.96 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 1.31 | 0.915 |
(5.36 × 1 + 1.96 × 0.889 + 1.31 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $277.26
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.
32601 billing questions
When should this code be chosen over a thoracoscopic biopsy code?
Use it for diagnostic inspection without tissue sampling. If the surgeon obtains a biopsy, select the code for the sampled site, such as pleura, mediastinum, or a lung nodule.
Can diagnostic thoracoscopy be reported separately when a biopsy is performed?
When the same thoracoscopic session includes biopsy, report the code describing the biopsy rather than separately reporting the diagnostic inspection.
Does modifier 50 apply when both sides are examined?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
What is included in the 0-day global period?
Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. The global period is 0 days.
How does payment change when another procedure is performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and the other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction, with payment at 50%.
When may an assistant surgeon be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when documentation supports medical necessity. 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.
3,73732560,,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
3,73832561,,Lyse chest fibrin init day,A,,1.36,1.52,,0.29,,0.15,3.03,1.80,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73932562,,Lyse chest fibrin subq day,A,,1.21,1.41,,0.27,,0.13,2.75,1.61,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,74032601,,Thoracoscopy diagnostic,A,,5.36,1.96,NA,1.96,,1.31,8.63,8.63,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,74132604,,Thoracoscopy wbx sac,A,,8.55,2.65,NA,2.65,,2.15,13.35,13.35,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,74232606,,Thoracoscopy w/bx med space,A,,8.18,2.60,NA,2.60,,2.05,12.83,12.83,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,74332607,,Thoracoscopy w/bx infiltrate,A,,5.36,1.97,NA,1.97,,1.33,8.66,8.66,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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