No office rate
Choose 60520 for thymectomy through a cervical incision; 60521 describes a different approach to thymus removal.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
60520 Thymectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Missouri
Report this service for partial or total thymus removal through a cervical incision, commonly performed for myasthenia gravis or thymic disease. Compare 60520 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 60520 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
$939.68–$969.42
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 60520 pays more and less in Missouri
Thoracic surgery
About 60520: Transcervical thymus removal
Report this service for partial or total thymus removal through a cervical incision, commonly performed for myasthenia gravis or thymic disease.
The surgeon removes part or all of the thymus through an incision in the lower neck, rather than entering the chest through a transthoracic approach. Thoracic and endocrine surgeons may perform the operation in a hospital operating room for conditions such as myasthenia gravis or a thymic mass. The operative report should establish that thymic tissue was removed and document the cervical route.
Select this code when the thymectomy is performed through the transcervical approach; the approach and extent of resection distinguish it from other thymectomy services. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care for 90 days. If multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this anatomy. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 60520
- 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 RVU16.73 · 57%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.63 · 29%
- Malpractice RVU4.07 · 14%
421
Medicare services in 2024 · #3692 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.
60520 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Missouri, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
60522 is for thymectomy with additional operative work specified by that code, rather than a transcervical thymectomy alone.
No office rate
Use 32673 when thymectomy is performed thoracoscopically; 60520 describes removal through a cervical incision.
No office rate
60500 reports parathyroid exploration, not thymus removal. It applies when the surgeon separately explores the parathyroid glands.
Compare 60520 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
$962.28
Metropolitan St. Louis →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$969.42
Rest Of Missouri →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$939.68
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60520 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from other thymectomy codes?
Use this code when the thymus is removed through a cervical incision. The other thymectomy codes describe different approaches or additional operative work.
What documentation supports the transcervical approach?
The operative report should identify the cervical incision and route, describe the thymic tissue removed, and state the extent of resection.
Does the service include related postoperative care?
Yes. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can modifier 50 be used for a bilateral thymectomy?
No. Bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this anatomy.
How are multiple procedures handled in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction.
Can 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.
6,71560502,,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
6,72060522,,Removal of thymus gland,A,,22.89,10.38,NA,10.38,,5.66,38.93,38.93,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,72160540,,Explore adrenal gland,A,,17.57,8.72,NA,8.72,,3.98,30.27,30.27,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00