Billing code 31502: Tracheostomy exchangeMedicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Report this service when a clinician exchanges a tracheostomy tube before the tract has matured, such as during an early postoperative tube change.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 31502 in Oregon.
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 31502 covers
This service covers exchanging a tracheostomy tube while the tract is still immature, when the opening may not yet provide a stable passage for reinsertion. It is typically performed by an otolaryngologist, surgeon, or other clinician managing the airway, often at the bedside in a hospital or other facility. The clinical context is an existing tracheostomy requiring a tube change—not creation of a new tracheostomy or emergency endotracheal intubation.
Report the service when the record supports that the tube was changed before the tract was established, including the reason for the exchange and the airway procedure performed. The CMS global period is 0 days, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. If 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. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this single midline airway service. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code, and co-surgeons and team surgery are 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.
Where 31502 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Unavailable | $30.79 |
| Rest Of Oregon | Unavailable | $29.57 |
How the 31502 rate is calculated
Each of 31502’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 · 31502
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.63Practice expense 0.20Malpractice 0.08
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 31502
The CMS indicators that decide how 31502 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 31502
Tracheostomy exchange
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is 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) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
31502 without 51 · national facility
$30.39
Tracheostomy exchange
31502-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$15.20
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%).
31502 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
31502 vs 31500 vs 31600 vs 31603: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 31500Emergency intubation
- 31500 describes emergency endotracheal intubation. Use 31502 for an exchange of an existing tracheostomy tube before the tract is established.
- 31600Tracheostomy
- 31600 is for creating a planned tracheostomy; 31502 is for changing the tube in an existing tracheostomy before its tract has matured.
- 31603Emergency tracheostomy
- 31603 describes emergency transtracheal airway access. It is not a tube exchange through an existing tracheostomy opening.
31502 billing questions
How is this different from emergency endotracheal intubation?
This code is for exchanging an existing tracheostomy tube before the tract has matured. Emergency endotracheal intubation establishes an airway through the mouth or nose instead.
Does the record need to identify the tract as immature?
Yes. Document that the tube exchange occurred before the tract was established, along with the reason for the change and the procedure performed.
Is same-day postoperative care separately reported?
No. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
Can an assistant, co-surgeon, or surgical team be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
Can modifier 50 be used?
No. The service concerns a single midline airway, so modifier 50 is inappropriate.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are subject to a 50% reduction.
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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