CPT code 31530: Laryngoscopy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Reports direct laryngoscopy used to locate and remove a foreign object from the larynx, such as an object lodged near the vocal folds.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 31530 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 31530 covers
An otolaryngologist uses a laryngoscope to view the larynx directly and extract a foreign object, often one lodged near the vocal folds or laryngeal inlet. The service is commonly performed in an operating room or hospital procedure setting, with instruments passed through the laryngoscope to grasp or retrieve the object. The approach is direct rather than indirect.
Report this code when the documented procedure includes removal through direct laryngoscopy. The operative note should identify the object and its laryngeal location, describe the direct approach, and record the removal. Use the related code for removal with an operating microscope or telescope when that technique is documented; indirect removal has a separate code. The procedure has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. CMS applies endoscopy family pricing when related endoscopies are performed together. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay for an assistant at surgery; 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 31530 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Unavailable | $175.50 |
| Rest Of Oregon | Unavailable | $167.77 |
How the 31530 rate is calculated
Each of 31530’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 · 31530
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work3.30
3.30 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.37
1.37 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.51
0.51 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
5.1800
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$173.02
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 31530
The CMS indicators that decide how 31530 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 31530
Laryngoscopy
| 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 | 3 | Endoscopy family rules apply. |
| 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
31530 without 51 · national facility
$173.02
Laryngoscopy
31530-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$86.51
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%).
31530 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 31531Foreign body removal
- Choose 31531 when an operating microscope or telescope is used for foreign body removal; 31530 describes direct removal without that technique distinction.
- 31511Laryngeal FB removal
- 31511 describes foreign body removal by indirect laryngoscopy. Use 31530 for removal through a direct laryngoscopic approach.
- 31535Laryngeal biopsy
- 31535 is for direct laryngoscopy with biopsy. Use 31530 when the operative service removes a foreign object rather than sampling tissue.
- 31525Laryngoscopy
- 31525 is a direct diagnostic examination. Use 31530 when the direct laryngoscopic service includes removal of a foreign object.
31530 billing questions
How is this different from 31531?
31530 describes direct laryngoscopic removal without the operating microscope or telescope distinction. Use 31531 when the documented removal is performed using an operating microscope or telescope.
When would 31511 be used instead?
31511 is for foreign body removal by indirect laryngoscopy. This code is for removal using a direct laryngoscopic approach.
Can diagnostic laryngoscopy be billed separately during the removal?
Do not separately report a diagnostic look that is part of locating and removing the foreign object during the same direct laryngoscopic procedure.
Should modifier 50 be reported?
No. CMS does not apply a bilateral adjustment to this service, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
How does the 0-day global period affect same-day care?
Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the procedure's payment. The global period is 0 days.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay for an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 31530 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 →