No office rate
60500 describes parathyroid exploration without mediastinal exploration. Choose 60505 when the surgeon also explores the mediastinum.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
60505 Parathyroid exploration Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Reports parathyroid exploration that includes exploration of the mediastinum, such as when a suspected ectopic parathyroid gland lies in the chest. Compare 60505 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 60505 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
$1133.06
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.
Endocrine surgery
About 60505: Parathyroid exploration with mediastinal exploration
Reports parathyroid exploration that includes exploration of the mediastinum, such as when a suspected ectopic parathyroid gland lies in the chest.
This operation explores the mediastinum as part of locating or treating parathyroid disease, including when the surgeon suspects ectopic parathyroid tissue in the chest. A parathyroidectomy may be performed, and thymectomy is included when done as part of the mediastinal exploration. Endocrine, general, or head-and-neck surgeons typically perform the procedure in an operating room, usually in a hospital setting.
Choose this code when the operative work includes mediastinal exploration, rather than a parathyroid exploration confined to the neck. The operative report should describe the mediastinal exploration and the parathyroid findings, removal, and any thymectomy performed. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued is paid in full and others are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. 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 60505
- 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 RVU22.48 · 63%
- Practice expense (office) RVU10.18 · 28%
- Malpractice RVU3.27 · 9%
91
Medicare services in 2024 · #4951 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.
60505 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
60502 is for re-exploration of the parathyroid glands. The distinction is prior exploration, not whether mediastinal exploration is included.
No office rate
60520 describes thymectomy through a transcervical approach. With 60505, thymectomy is included when performed as part of parathyroid mediastinal exploration.
Compare 60505 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
$1133.06
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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 60505 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,716
- Code
- 60505
- Physician work
- 22.48
- Practice expense
- 10.18
- Malpractice
- 3.27
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 22.48 | × 1.000 | 22.4800 |
| Practice expense | 10.18 | × 1.029 | 10.4752 |
| Malpractice | 3.27 | × 0.296 | 0.9679 |
| Total RVUs | 33.9231 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Minnesota$1133.06
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 22.48 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 10.18 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 3.27 | 0.296 |
(22.48 × 1 + 10.18 × 1.029 + 3.27 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $1133.06
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.
60505 billing questions
How does 60505 differ from 60500?
Use 60505 when the operation includes mediastinal exploration. Use 60500 for parathyroid exploration without that mediastinal work.
Does 60505 include thymectomy?
Yes, thymectomy is included when performed as part of the mediastinal exploration. Do not separately report a thymectomy code for that included work.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral exploration?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to 60505, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
May an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. 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.
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
6,71960521,,Removal of thymus gland,A,,18.70,8.99,NA,8.99,,4.68,32.37,32.37,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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