$299.07–$314.85
Code 32560 describes chemical pleurodesis through a chest tube. Use 32650 when the pleurodesis is performed with a thoracoscopic approach.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
32650 Pleurodesis Medicare reimbursement rates in New Jersey
Thoracoscopic pleurodesis creates adhesion between pleural surfaces, commonly to reduce recurrence of pneumothorax or manage recurrent pleural effusion. Compare 32650 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in New Jersey.
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 32650 in New Jersey?
New Jersey has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$692.23–$712.29
2 of 2 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.
Thoracic surgery
About 32650: Thoracoscopic pleurodesis
Thoracoscopic pleurodesis creates adhesion between pleural surfaces, commonly to reduce recurrence of pneumothorax or manage recurrent pleural effusion.
A thoracic surgeon performs this operation through a thoracoscope to make the visceral and parietal pleura adhere, using a mechanical or chemical technique. Common situations include recurrent pneumothorax and recurrent pleural effusion, including effusion associated with malignancy. The service is typically performed in an operating room or hospital setting under general anesthesia.
Report the code for the thoracoscopic pleurodesis itself, with the operative report identifying the indication, approach, and method used. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. For a bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50, CMS pays at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 32650
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- 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 RVU10.56 · 54%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.35 · 33%
- Malpractice RVU2.56 · 13%
3.8K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2030 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.
32650 compared with similar codes
Office rates for New Jersey, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Code 32609 represents thoracoscopic pleural biopsy. It describes diagnostic tissue sampling, not pleural adhesion treatment.
No office rate
Code 32656 describes thoracoscopic pleurectomy, which removes pleural tissue. Code 32650 is for creating pleural adhesion without coding the service as pleurectomy.
Compare 32650 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Northern Nj →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$712.29
Rest Of New Jersey →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$692.23
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32650 billing questions
When should I report this instead of code 32560?
Report this code when pleurodesis is performed thoracoscopically. Code 32560 describes chemical pleurodesis delivered through a chest tube without a thoracoscopic approach.
How does this differ from thoracoscopic pleurectomy?
Pleurodesis brings the pleural surfaces together to form an adhesion. Pleurectomy removes pleural tissue and is a different operative approach.
Can a pleural biopsy be reported during the same operation?
A pleural biopsy may be performed for diagnostic evaluation during the encounter. Documentation should identify the biopsy site and its separate purpose; apply applicable coding edits when reporting both services.
What does the 90-day global period include?
It includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care for 90 days after surgery.
How is bilateral pleurodesis handled under the CMS payment facts?
For a bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50, CMS pays at 150%.
May an assistant surgeon be paid for this operation?
CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while 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.
3,74432608,,Thoracoscopy w/bx nodule,A,,6.67,2.23,NA,2.23,,1.67,10.57,10.57,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,74532609,,Thoracoscopy w/bx pleura,A,,4.47,1.73,NA,1.73,,0.95,7.15,7.15,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,7463260F,,Pt cat/pn cat/hist grd docd,M,,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
3,74732650,,Thoracoscopy w/pleurodesis,A,,10.56,6.35,NA,6.35,,2.56,19.47,19.47,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,74832651,,Thoracoscopy remove cortex,A,,18.31,8.27,NA,8.27,,4.55,31.13,31.13,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,74932652,,Thoracoscopy rem totl cortex,A,,28.40,11.49,NA,11.49,,7.11,47.00,47.00,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,75032653,,Thoracoscopy remov fb/fibrin,A,,17.72,8.18,NA,8.18,,4.23,30.13,30.13,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00