No office rate
31587 identifies a cricoid split. Use 31551 when the documented service matches its laryngeal stenosis laryngoplasty descriptor instead.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
31587 Cricoid split Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Reports surgical division of the cricoid framework to widen a narrowed airway, commonly for subglottic stenosis, rather than endoscopic lesion treatment. Compare 31587 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Minnesota.
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 31587 in Minnesota?
Minnesota 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
$1054.61
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Minnesota
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.
Laryngeal surgery
About 31587: Cricoid split for airway enlargement
Reports surgical division of the cricoid framework to widen a narrowed airway, commonly for subglottic stenosis, rather than endoscopic lesion treatment.
A cricoid split divides the cricoid framework to increase airway caliber, most often to address fixed subglottic narrowing. An otolaryngologist or airway surgeon performs the operation in a surgical setting, commonly for a child with subglottic stenosis. The operative report should establish that the cricoid itself was split, rather than documenting only airway inspection or treatment of a vocal-fold lesion.
Report 31587 when the cricoid split is the laryngoplasty performed; the diagnosis of stenosis alone does not determine code selection. Document the indication, structures altered, and operative work so the procedure can be distinguished from other stenosis repairs. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. For procedures performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires medical-necessity documentation, co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 31587
- 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 paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU14.89 · 46%
- Practice expense (office) RVU15.59 · 48%
- Malpractice RVU2.17 · 7%
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.
31587 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Both concern laryngeal airway surgery, but 31587 is specific to splitting the cricoid; select 31554 only when its described stenosis reconstruction was performed.
No office rate
31592 describes cricotracheal resection, a different operation for airway stenosis. It is not interchangeable with a cricoid split.
Compare 31587 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
Minnesota →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1054.61
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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 31587 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,615
- Code
- 31587
- Physician work
- 14.89
- Practice expense
- 15.59
- Malpractice
- 2.17
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 14.89 | × 1.000 | 14.8900 |
| Practice expense | 15.59 | × 1.029 | 16.0421 |
| Malpractice | 2.17 | × 0.296 | 0.6423 |
| Total RVUs | 31.5744 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Minnesota$1054.61
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 14.89 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 15.59 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 2.17 | 0.296 |
(14.89 × 1 + 15.59 × 1.029 + 2.17 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $1054.61
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.
31587 billing questions
How is 31587 distinguished from the laryngoplasty codes for laryngeal stenosis?
Use 31587 when the documented operation is a cricoid split. Select a stenosis laryngoplasty code when the procedure performed matches that code’s specific reconstructive service.
Does a diagnosis of subglottic stenosis support 31587 by itself?
No. The operative report should describe the cricoid split and the airway structures treated; the diagnosis alone does not establish that this procedure was performed.
Should modifier 50 be appended for a bilateral case?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How are other procedures in the same operative session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
When can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is 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.
3,61231579,,Laryngoscopy telescopic,A,,1.83,3.77,,1.04,,0.24,5.84,3.11,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,1,0,0,9,31575,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,61331580,,Laryngoplasty laryngeal web,A,,14.24,18.58,NA,18.58,,2.08,34.90,34.90,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,61431584,,Laryngoplasty fx rdctj fixj,A,,17.14,18.28,NA,18.28,,2.50,37.92,37.92,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,61531587,,Laryngoplasty cricoid split,A,,14.89,15.59,NA,15.59,,2.17,32.65,32.65,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,61631590,,Reinnervate larynx,A,,7.65,17.64,NA,17.64,,1.12,26.41,26.41,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,61731591,,Laryngoplasty medialization,A,,13.22,14.78,NA,14.78,,1.93,29.93,29.93,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,1,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,61831592,,Cricotracheal resection,A,,24.38,17.90,NA,17.90,,3.56,45.84,45.84,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6314212,MA,99,REST OF MASSACHUSETTS,1.016,1.053,0.797
6408202,MI,01,DETROIT,1.000,0.965,1.686
6508202,MI,99,REST OF MICHIGAN,1.000,0.913,1.129
6606202,MN,00,MINNESOTA,1.000,1.029,0.296
6707302,MS,00,MISSISSIPPI,1.000,0.861,0.739
6805302,MO,02,METROPOLITAN KANSAS CITY,1.000,0.939,0.977
6905302,MO,01,METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.952,1.002