No office rate
Use 31528 for the initial dilation service and 31529 for a subsequent dilation service, as supported by the operative record.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
31528 Laryngoscopy dilation Medicare reimbursement rates in Nebraska
Reports direct laryngeal visualization with an initial dilation to widen a narrowed area, such as stenosis, during an operative treatment session. Compare 31528 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Nebraska.
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 31528 in Nebraska?
Nebraska 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
$114.87
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Nebraska
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.
Otolaryngology
About 31528: Direct laryngoscopy with initial dilation
Reports direct laryngeal visualization with an initial dilation to widen a narrowed area, such as stenosis, during an operative treatment session.
An otolaryngologist uses a laryngoscope to view the larynx directly while widening a narrowed area. The procedure is commonly performed in an operating room, often under general anesthesia, for problems such as scar-related laryngeal narrowing or stenosis that restricts the airway. The operative note should identify the treated narrowing and describe the dilation performed under direct visualization.
Select this code for the initial dilation service; code 31529 represents a subsequent dilation service. The documentation should establish the treatment purpose and the sequence of the dilation, rather than describing diagnostic inspection alone. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy family pricing applies. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. An assistant at surgery is payable only when medical necessity is documented; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 31528
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
- Multiple procedures
- Endoscopy family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together.
- 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 RVU2.31 · 62%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.08 · 29%
- Malpractice RVU0.35 · 9%
769
Medicare services in 2024 · #3191 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.
31528 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Nebraska, from the same CMS release.
$231.50
Code 31525 describes diagnostic direct laryngoscopy; 31528 is appropriate when the laryngoscopy includes therapeutic dilation.
No office rate
Code 31551 represents a laryngoplasty approach for laryngeal stenosis. Code 31528 is for endoscopic dilation rather than that reconstructive approach.
Compare 31528 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
Nebraska →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$114.87
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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 31528 in Nebraska.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,586
- Code
- 31528
- Physician work
- 2.31
- Practice expense
- 1.08
- Malpractice
- 0.35
GPCI2026.csv
72
- Locality
- Nebraska
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.923
- Malpractice
- 0.378
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 2.31 | × 1.000 | 2.3100 |
| Practice expense | 1.08 | × 0.923 | 0.9968 |
| Malpractice | 0.35 | × 0.378 | 0.1323 |
| Total RVUs | 3.4391 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Nebraska$114.87
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 2.31 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 1.08 | 0.923 |
| Malpractice | 0.35 | 0.378 |
(2.31 × 1 + 1.08 × 0.923 + 0.35 × 0.378) × $33.4009 = $114.87
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.
31528 billing questions
How does this differ from code 31529?
Code 31528 represents the initial dilation service; 31529 represents a subsequent dilation service. The operative documentation should support which stage of dilation was performed.
Can diagnostic laryngoscopy be reported separately?
The direct visualization needed to perform the dilation is part of the therapeutic work. Do not assume that a separate diagnostic laryngoscopy is reportable for the same operative inspection.
Can modifier 50 be used for dilation on both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 should not be used.
When is an assistant at surgery payable?
Only when the record documents medical necessity for the assistant. CMS does not permit co-surgeons or team surgery for this service.
What care is included in the global period?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
What happens when related endoscopies are performed together?
CMS applies endoscopy family pricing when related endoscopies are performed together. The operative record should identify the procedures performed.
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.
3,58331525,,Dx laryngoscopy excl nb,A,,2.56,4.58,,1.18,,0.38,7.52,4.12,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,58431526,,Dx laryngoscopy w/oper scope,A,,2.51,1.17,NA,1.17,,0.37,4.05,4.05,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,58531527,,Laryngoscopy for treatment,A,,3.19,1.34,NA,1.34,,0.46,4.99,4.99,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,0,0,0,9,31525,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,58631528,,Laryngoscopy and dilation,A,,2.31,1.08,NA,1.08,,0.35,3.74,3.74,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,0,0,0,9,31525,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,58731529,,Laryngoscopy and dilation,A,,2.61,1.14,NA,1.14,,0.38,4.13,4.13,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,0,0,0,9,31525,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,58831530,,Laryngoscopy w/fb removal,A,,3.30,1.37,NA,1.37,,0.51,5.18,5.18,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,1,0,0,9,31525,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,58931531,,Laryngoscopy w/fb & op scope,A,,3.49,1.45,NA,1.45,,0.50,5.44,5.44,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,3,0,0,0,0,9,31526,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6905302,MO,01,METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.952,1.002
7005302,MO,99,REST OF MISSOURI,1.000,0.862,0.974
7103202,MT,01,MONTANA**,1.000,1.000,0.998
7205402,NE,00,NEBRASKA,1.000,0.923,0.378
7301312,NV,00,NEVADA**,1.000,1.001,0.833
7414312,NH,40,NEW HAMPSHIRE,1.000,1.041,0.875
7512402,NJ,01,NORTHERN NJ,1.063,1.160,1.068