Use 41512 for permanent-suture tongue suspension. Use 41530 when the surgeon reduces tongue-base tissue rather than suspending the tongue.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
41512 Tongue suspension Medicare reimbursement rates in Michigan
Reports surgical suspension of the tongue base with permanent sutures to address obstructive sleep apnea related to posterior tongue collapse. Compare 41512 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Michigan.
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 41512 in Michigan?
Michigan 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
$591.66–$628.92
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.
Sleep surgery
About 41512: Tongue-base suture suspension
Reports surgical suspension of the tongue base with permanent sutures to address obstructive sleep apnea related to posterior tongue collapse.
An otolaryngologist or another surgeon experienced in sleep surgery performs tongue suspension to reduce posterior movement of the tongue during sleep. The procedure uses permanent sutures to secure the tongue base to a stable anterior anchor, commonly the mandible. It is used for selected patients with obstructive sleep apnea when tongue-base collapse contributes to airway obstruction, often as part of surgery addressing more than one level of the airway. It is generally performed in an operating room under anesthesia.
Report 41512 when the operative record supports the permanent-suture suspension technique, not simply because the patient has sleep apnea or underwent another tongue-base procedure. Document the indication, surgical approach, suture placement, and anchoring details. This major surgery has a 90-day global period that includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. 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. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 41512
- 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 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 RVU6.69 · 36%
- Practice expense (office) RVU10.85 · 59%
- Malpractice RVU0.99 · 5%
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.
41512 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Michigan, from the same CMS release.
21685 describes hyoid myotomy and suspension; 41512 suspends the tongue base with permanent sutures. The operative target and technique distinguish them.
42145 addresses the palate and pharyngeal tissues, while 41512 addresses tongue-base movement. Both may be performed in multilevel airway surgery.
Compare 41512 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
Detroit →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$628.92
Rest Of Michigan →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$591.66
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41512 billing questions
How is tongue suspension different from tongue-base reduction?
41512 reports permanent-suture suspension that limits posterior tongue movement. 41530 describes tongue-base tissue reduction, a different operative method.
Can tongue suspension be reported with palatopharyngoplasty?
It may be reported with 42145 when both distinct procedures are performed during the same session to address obstruction at different airway levels. Document the work performed for each.
Does the 90-day global period include related postoperative visits?
Yes. The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can modifier 50 be used for tongue suspension?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
When is assistant-at-surgery payment allowed?
Only when medical necessity for the assistant is documented. 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.
