Billing code 32215: PleurectomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Ohio
Open thoracotomy with removal of pleural tissue, commonly performed to manage recurrent pneumothorax or selected pleural disease.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 32215 in Ohio.
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 32215 covers
The surgeon enters the chest through a thoracotomy and removes pleural tissue. This open operation may be used in selected cases of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax or pleural disease; the operative indication and extent of removal determine whether this service is appropriate. Thoracic surgeons typically perform it in a hospital operating room. It is distinct from lung decortication, which removes a restrictive peel from the lung surface.
Report the code when the operative record supports an open thoracotomy with pleurectomy, including the side and extent of the work. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, which includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires 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.
32215 in Ohio
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | Unavailable | $762.50 |
How the 32215 rate is calculated
Each of 32215’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 · 32215
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 12.72Practice expense 7.55Malpractice 3.19
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 32215
32215 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 32215
Pleurectomy
| 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) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| 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 · 32215
Pleurectomy
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 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
32215 without 50 · national facility
$783.59
Pleurectomy
32215-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$1,175.39
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
32215 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
32215 vs 32220 vs 32225 vs 32650: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 32220Lung decortication
- Use this code for total pulmonary decortication, which releases the lung by removing a restrictive peel. Code 32215 describes pleurectomy through an open thoracotomy.
- 32225Lung decortication
- Code 32225 is for partial pulmonary decortication. It is not the code for removing pleural tissue through thoracotomy.
- 32650Pleurodesis
- Code 32650 describes thoracoscopic pleurodesis. Code 32215 is an open thoracotomy with pleurectomy, so the approach and work differ.
32215 billing questions
How is pleurectomy different from pulmonary decortication?
Pleurectomy removes pleural tissue through thoracotomy. Decortication removes a restrictive peel from the lung surface; choose the code that matches the work documented in the operative report.
Does the 90-day global period include postoperative care?
Yes. CMS includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care in the global period.
How does CMS apply the multiple-procedure reduction?
For procedures performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%.
How is bilateral pleurectomy reported?
For bilateral surgery, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. 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 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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