Billing code 32480: Lung resectionMedicare rate & RVUs in Nevada
Reports open removal of one lung lobe, commonly for a localized lung tumor or other disease requiring an anatomic lobectomy.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 32480 in Nevada.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 32480 covers
This service removes one anatomic lobe of the lung through an open surgical approach. Thoracic surgeons commonly perform it in an operating room for a localized lung cancer, another resectable lung tumor, or selected destructive benign disease. The code represents a single-lobe resection, not removal of multiple lobes or the entire lung.
Select the code based on the operative report’s documented extent and approach: one lobe removed by open surgery. Record the lobe and the resection performed; use a different code for a thoracoscopic lobectomy, segmentectomy, bilobectomy, or pneumonectomy. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
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.
32480 in Nevada**
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada** | Unavailable | $1,367.77 |
How the 32480 rate is calculated
Each of 32480’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 32480
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work25.17
25.17 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense10.53
10.53 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice6.29
6.29 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
41.9900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,402.50
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 32480
32480 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 32480
Lung resection
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.76/0.14 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 32480
Lung resection
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
32480 without 51 · national facility
$1,402.50
Lung resection
32480-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$701.25
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
32480 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 32482Bilobectomy
- Choose 32480 when one lobe is removed; 32482 is for removal of two lobes.
- 32484Lung resection
- 32480 represents a full-lobe resection. Choose 32484 when the surgeon removes a segment rather than an entire lobe.
- 32663Thoracoscopic lobectomy
- Both describe lobectomy, but 32480 is the open approach and 32663 is the thoracoscopic approach.
- 32440Pneumonectomy
- 32480 removes one lobe; 32440 is used when the entire lung is removed.
32480 billing questions
How does 32480 differ from bilobectomy code 32482?
32480 is for removal of one lung lobe. Use 32482 when the operative report documents removal of two lobes.
How does 32480 differ from segmentectomy code 32484?
32480 represents removal of an entire lobe; 32484 represents resection of a lung segment rather than a full lobe.
When is thoracoscopic lobectomy code 32663 a better fit?
Use 32663 for a lobectomy performed thoracoscopically. Code 32480 represents the open approach.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction are paid at 50%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only with 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 indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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