32800
No office rateLung hernia repair
32800 addresses a lung hernia protruding through the chest wall. Use 32820 when the operative work is major reconstruction of the chest wall itself.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
32820 Chest wall reconstruction Medicare reimbursement rates in Massachusetts
Report major reconstruction to restore chest-wall structure after substantial injury-related damage, rather than for a limited fistula closure or focal lung hernia repair. Compare 32820 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Massachusetts.
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 32820 in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$1309.56–$1400.99
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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 32820: Major traumatic chest wall reconstruction
Report major reconstruction to restore chest-wall structure after substantial injury-related damage, rather than for a limited fistula closure or focal lung hernia repair.
This service rebuilds a substantially damaged chest wall, commonly after trauma that has left a large defect or disrupted the chest wall’s structural support. A thoracic surgeon typically performs the reconstruction in an operating room, restoring support and coverage; the repair may involve graft or prosthetic material. The work is more extensive than closing a drainage site or repairing a focal lung hernia.
Select the code when the operative report supports major reconstruction, describing the injury, defect, structures rebuilt, and materials used. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the following 90 days. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are reduced to 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 32820
- 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 RVU21.95 · 56%
- Practice expense (office) RVU11.90 · 30%
- Malpractice RVU5.49 · 14%
127
Medicare services in 2024 · #4686 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.
32820 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Massachusetts, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
32810 is for closing the chest wall after drainage. It does not describe major reconstruction of a substantially damaged chest wall.
No office rate
32815 addresses closure of a bronchial fistula. Choose 32820 when the principal work is rebuilding the chest wall rather than closing the fistula.
Compare 32820 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Metropolitan Boston →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1400.99
Rest Of Massachusetts →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1309.56
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32820 billing questions
When is this more appropriate than a limited chest-wall repair?
Use 32820 for major reconstruction of a substantial chest-wall defect, such as injury-related structural damage. A focal lung hernia repair or closure after drainage has a more specific code.
What documentation supports reporting 32820?
The operative report should establish the cause and extent of the defect, identify the chest-wall structures reconstructed, and describe the reconstructive work and materials used.
Should modifier 50 be appended for reconstruction on both sides?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only when supporting documentation is provided; team surgery is not permitted.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care for 90 days after surgery.
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.
3,78532810,,Close chest after drainage,A,,14.58,7.92,NA,7.92,,3.66,26.16,26.16,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,78632815,,Close bronchial fistula,A,,48.78,17.61,NA,17.61,,12.32,78.71,78.71,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,7873281F,,Hgb lvl <11 g/dl,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
3,78832820,,Reconstruct injured chest,A,,21.95,11.90,NA,11.90,,5.49,39.34,39.34,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,7893284F,,Iop red >=15% pre-ntrv lvl,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
3,79032850,,Donor pneumonectomy,X,,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
3,79132851,,Lung transplant single,A,,58.15,18.51,NA,18.51,,14.61,91.27,91.27,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,2,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00