$596.48
Choose 31820 for closure without plastic repair; 31825 describes closure that includes plastic repair.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
31820 Tracheal closure Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Reports surgical closure of a persistent tracheostomy opening or fistula when the surgeon closes the tract without plastic reconstruction. Compare 31820 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 31820 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
$437.56
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Minnesota
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$287.71
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.
Tracheal surgery
About 31820: Simple tracheostomy fistula closure
Reports surgical closure of a persistent tracheostomy opening or fistula when the surgeon closes the tract without plastic reconstruction.
This service closes a persistent opening between the trachea and skin, commonly a tracheocutaneous fistula that remains after a tracheostomy tube has been removed. An otolaryngologist or thoracic surgeon typically performs the operation in a surgical setting, closing the tract without plastic reconstruction. The code is for closure of the established opening, rather than repair of an acute tracheal injury or revision of a tracheostomy scar alone.
Select this code when the operative report supports closure without plastic repair. Documentation should identify the opening being treated and describe the closure performed. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 31820
- 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 RVU4.52 · 34%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.14 · 61%
- Malpractice RVU0.69 · 5%
184
Medicare services in 2024 · #4392 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.
31820 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
31800 is for cervical tracheal injury repair. 31820 is for closing a tracheostomy opening or fistula.
No office rate
31805 is for repair of a thoracic tracheal injury; 31820 closes a tracheostomy opening or fistula.
$483.58
31830 addresses revision of a tracheostomy scar. Use 31820 when the service closes a persistent opening or fistula.
Compare 31820 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
$437.56
Facility
$287.71
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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 31820 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,679
- Code
- 31820
- Physician work
- 4.52
- Practice expense
- 8.14
- Malpractice
- 0.69
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 4.52 | × 1.000 | 4.5200 |
| Practice expense | 8.14 | × 1.029 | 8.3761 |
| Malpractice | 0.69 | × 0.296 | 0.2042 |
| Total RVUs | 13.1003 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Minnesota$437.56
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 4.52 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 8.14 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 0.69 | 0.296 |
(4.52 × 1 + 8.14 × 1.029 + 0.69 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $437.56
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 4.52 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 3.78 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 0.69 | 0.296 |
(4.52 × 1 + 3.78 × 1.029 + 0.69 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $287.71
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.
31820 billing questions
How does this differ from 31825?
31820 is for closure without plastic repair. Use 31825 when the closure includes plastic repair.
Is this the code for an acute tracheal injury?
No. This code describes closure of a tracheostomy opening or fistula. Codes 31800 and 31805 describe tracheal repair for injury, depending on the site.
Can modifier 50 be used for openings on both sides?
No. The code's descriptor and anatomy make bilateral adjustment inappropriate; do not append modifier 50.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.
When may an assistant-at-surgery be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.
How does another procedure in the same session affect payment?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures performed in that session are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction.
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.
3,67631786,,Remove windpipe lesion,A,,24.78,9.72,NA,9.72,,6.24,40.74,40.74,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67731800,,Repair of windpipe injury,A,,7.98,10.15,NA,10.15,,1.17,19.30,19.30,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67831805,,Repair of windpipe injury,A,,13.08,7.43,NA,7.43,,3.29,23.80,23.80,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67931820,,Closure of windpipe lesion,A,,4.52,8.14,,3.78,,0.69,13.35,8.99,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,68031825,,Repair of windpipe defect,A,,6.89,10.36,,4.95,,1.04,18.29,12.88,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,68131830,,Revise windpipe scar,A,,4.50,9.51,,4.76,,0.65,14.66,9.91,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,68231899,,Unlisted px trachea bronchi,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,YYY,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,1,1,9,,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