Billing code 32442: PneumonectomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Ohio
Thoracic surgeons report sleeve pneumonectomy when removing an entire lung requires resection and reconstruction of an involved main bronchus.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 32442 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 32442 covers
A thoracic surgeon removes an entire lung together with an involved segment of the main bronchus, then reconstructs the airway. The operation is used in selected cases of centrally located lung disease, such as a tumor involving a main bronchus, when the required airway resection goes beyond a standard pneumonectomy. It is a major operation performed in the operating room, generally by a thoracic surgical team.
Choose this code when the operative report supports both removal of the whole lung and sleeve resection with airway reconstruction. Document the disease extent, bronchial resection, and reconstruction; a routine whole-lung removal without sleeve airway work points to a different code. The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the global period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Do not report a bilateral adjustment. An assistant at surgery may be paid; 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.
32442 in Ohio
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | Unavailable | $2,784.56 |
How the 32442 rate is calculated
Each of 32442’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 · 32442
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 55.06Practice expense 15.67Malpractice 13.89
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 32442
32442 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 32442
Pneumonectomy
| 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 · 32442
Pneumonectomy
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
32442 without 51 · national facility
$2,826.38
Pneumonectomy
32442-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,413.19
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%).
32442 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
32442 vs 32440 vs 32486 vs 32488: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 32440Pneumonectomy
- Use 32442 when the whole-lung removal includes sleeve resection and airway reconstruction. Use 32440 for pneumonectomy without that sleeve airway work.
- 32486Sleeve lobectomy
- Both involve sleeve airway resection, but 32486 removes a lobe; 32442 involves removal of the entire lung.
- 32488Completion pneumonectomy
- 32488 describes completion pneumonectomy after a prior lung resection. 32442 is selected for the sleeve pneumonectomy procedure, not simply because a pneumonectomy is being completed.
32442 billing questions
How does this differ from a standard pneumonectomy?
This code is for whole-lung removal that also requires sleeve resection and reconstruction of an involved bronchus. A whole-lung removal without that airway work is reported with 32440.
What operative documentation supports this code?
The report should establish that the entire lung was removed and describe the bronchial sleeve resection and airway reconstruction. The documented extent helps distinguish this operation from a lobectomy or standard pneumonectomy.
Is related postoperative care separately reported during the global period?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the 90-day global period.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral surgery?
No bilateral adjustment applies to this code; its descriptor and anatomy make modifier 50 inappropriate.
How are assistant and co-surgeon services handled?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. 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
Fee sheets
Put 32442 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →