No office rate
60500 is for initial parathyroid exploration. Choose 60502 when the operation re-enters previously operated parathyroid anatomy.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
60502 Parathyroid exploration Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Reports a return operation to explore previously operated parathyroid anatomy, typically for persistent or recurrent hyperparathyroidism after earlier neck surgery. Compare 60502 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 60502 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
$1149.94
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.
Endocrine surgery
About 60502: Reoperative parathyroid exploration
Reports a return operation to explore previously operated parathyroid anatomy, typically for persistent or recurrent hyperparathyroidism after earlier neck surgery.
An endocrine or head-and-neck surgeon re-enters a previously operated neck to locate and assess parathyroid tissue in a scarred operative field. The service is generally performed in a hospital operating room when hyperparathyroidism persists or returns after prior parathyroid surgery. The operative work may involve identifying residual or ectopic parathyroid tissue and treating the source found during the re-exploration.
Choose this code when the current operation is a re-exploration, rather than an initial exploration of the parathyroid glands. The operative report should establish the prior parathyroid operation, the reason for returning to the neck, the exploration performed, and the findings and treatment. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 60502
- 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 RVU20.62 · 57%
- Practice expense (office) RVU10.52 · 29%
- Malpractice RVU4.87 · 14%
1K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2954 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.
60502 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
60505 describes parathyroid exploration that includes mediastinal exploration by a specified approach; 60502 identifies re-exploration.
No office rate
60512 reports parathyroid autotransplantation, which may accompany exploration; it does not replace the re-exploration code.
Compare 60502 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
$1149.94
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 60502 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,715
- Code
- 60502
- Physician work
- 20.62
- Practice expense
- 10.52
- Malpractice
- 4.87
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 20.62 | × 1.000 | 20.6200 |
| Practice expense | 10.52 | × 0.889 | 9.3523 |
| Malpractice | 4.87 | × 0.915 | 4.4561 |
| Total RVUs | 34.4283 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Kentucky$1149.94
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 20.62 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 10.52 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 4.87 | 0.915 |
(20.62 × 1 + 10.52 × 0.889 + 4.87 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $1149.94
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.
60502 billing questions
When should 60502 be chosen instead of 60500?
Use 60502 for a return exploration after prior parathyroid surgery. Code 60500 describes an initial exploration, not a re-exploration.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code because of its descriptor or anatomy.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative visits?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures subject to the multiple procedure reduction are paid at 50%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
What documentation supports reporting a re-exploration?
Document the earlier parathyroid operation, the clinical reason for returning to the neck, and the re-exploration and treatment performed.
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.
6,7126040F,,Appro rad ds dvcs techs 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
6,7136045F,,Radxps in end rprt4fluro pxd,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
6,71460500,,Explore parathyroid glands,A,,15.21,8.09,NA,8.09,,3.39,26.69,26.69,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,71560502,,Re-explore parathyroids,A,,20.62,10.52,NA,10.52,,4.87,36.01,36.01,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,71660505,,Explore parathyroid glands,A,,22.48,10.18,NA,10.18,,3.27,35.93,35.93,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,71760512,,Autotransplant parathyroid,A,,4.33,1.08,NA,1.08,,0.91,6.32,6.32,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,71860520,,Removal of thymus gland,A,,16.73,8.63,NA,8.63,,4.07,29.43,29.43,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,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