No office rate
Both codes concern tracheal lesion excision; choose 31785 for a cervical lesion and 31786 for an intrathoracic lesion.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
31785 Tracheal excision Medicare reimbursement rates in Missouri
Reports surgical excision of a lesion in the cervical trachea, such as a localized tumor, when treatment requires operative removal rather than bronchoscopic management. Compare 31785 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Missouri.
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 31785 in Missouri?
Missouri has 3 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 3 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$884.28–$907.79
3 of 3 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.
Where 31785 pays more and less in Missouri
Thoracic surgery
About 31785: Cervical tracheal lesion excision
Reports surgical excision of a lesion in the cervical trachea, such as a localized tumor, when treatment requires operative removal rather than bronchoscopic management.
CPT 31785 represents operative removal of a lesion from the cervical portion of the trachea. The lesion may be benign or malignant. An otolaryngologist or thoracic surgeon typically performs the procedure in an operating room, with the removed tissue submitted for pathologic examination. The operative note should establish that the treated site is the cervical trachea and describe the lesion and extent of removal.
Select this code for excision at the cervical site; an intrathoracic tracheal lesion belongs to the neighboring code 31786. Document the operative work clearly enough to distinguish lesion excision from bronchoscopic treatment or tracheal reconstruction. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 31785
- 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 RVU17.89 · 65%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.01 · 25%
- Malpractice RVU2.61 · 9%
61
Medicare services in 2024 · #5228 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.
31785 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Missouri, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
31640 describes bronchoscopic tumor removal. Choose 31785 for operative excision of a lesion in the cervical trachea.
No office rate
31780 represents cervical tracheal reconstruction. Use 31785 when the documented service is excision of a cervical tracheal lesion rather than reconstruction.
No office rate
31641 is bronchoscopic destruction of an airway lesion; 31785 is operative excision of a cervical tracheal lesion.
Compare 31785 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.
3 of 3 payment localities
Metropolitan Kansas City →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$902.57
Metropolitan St. Louis →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$907.79
Rest Of Missouri →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$884.28
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31785 billing questions
How do I choose between 31785 and 31786?
Use 31785 for excision of a cervical tracheal lesion. Code 31786 is for the corresponding intrathoracic site.
When is 31640 a better fit?
Consider 31640 when the surgeon removes an airway tumor bronchoscopically. Code 31785 describes operative excision of a cervical tracheal lesion, not bronchoscopic tumor removal.
Is modifier 50 appropriate for bilateral tracheal work?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
What should the operative report document?
Identify the cervical tracheal site, the lesion, and the extent of excision. The documentation should distinguish the work from bronchoscopic treatment or tracheal reconstruction.
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.
3,67231775,,Reconstruct bronchus,A,,23.98,9.57,NA,9.57,,6.04,39.59,39.59,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67331780,,Reconstruct windpipe,A,,19.34,8.69,NA,8.69,,2.82,30.85,30.85,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67431781,,Reconstruct windpipe,A,,24.23,8.91,NA,8.91,,3.54,36.68,36.68,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67531785,,Remove windpipe lesion,A,,17.89,7.01,NA,7.01,,2.61,27.51,27.51,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67631786,,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