No office rate
This code is for an intrathoracic tracheal lesion; 31785 is the cervical-location sibling. Base the choice on the documented operative site.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
31786 Tracheal lesion excision Medicare reimbursement rates in Pennsylvania
Reports surgical removal of a lesion in the intrathoracic trachea, rather than a cervical lesion or an endoscopic airway procedure. Compare 31786 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Pennsylvania.
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 31786 in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania 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
$1322.67–$1429.19
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 31786: Intrathoracic tracheal lesion excision
Reports surgical removal of a lesion in the intrathoracic trachea, rather than a cervical lesion or an endoscopic airway procedure.
This code describes surgical removal of a tumor or other lesion from the portion of the trachea within the chest. A thoracic or airway surgeon typically performs the procedure in an operating room, with access selected for the lesion’s location and extent. The service is distinct from bronchoscopic sampling or endoscopic treatment of an airway lesion; the operative report should establish that the target was intrathoracic and surgically excised.
Choose this code over its cervical sibling based on the lesion’s anatomic location, and document the site, extent, approach, and work performed. It has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 31786
- 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- 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 RVU24.78 · 61%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.72 · 24%
- Malpractice RVU6.24 · 15%
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.
31786 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Pennsylvania, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
31786 describes excision of an intrathoracic tracheal lesion. Use 31781 when the documented service is intrathoracic tracheal reconstruction.
No office rate
31641 describes endoscopic treatment of an airway lesion. This code describes surgical excision of a lesion in the intrathoracic trachea.
Compare 31786 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
Metropolitan Philadelphia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1429.19
Rest Of Pennsylvania →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1322.67
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31786 billing questions
How do I distinguish this code from 31785?
Use the lesion’s location: 31786 is for the intrathoracic trachea, while 31785 is for the cervical trachea. The operative documentation should make the location clear.
Can bronchoscopic biopsy or tumor treatment be reported instead?
A bronchoscopic service describes an endoscopic procedure, such as sampling or treating an airway lesion. This code describes surgical excision of an intrathoracic tracheal lesion.
What documentation supports reporting 31786?
Document the lesion’s location in the intrathoracic trachea, its extent, the surgical approach, and the excision performed. If additional airway reconstruction was done, describe that work separately in the operative report.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period. The code represents major surgery.
Can I append modifier 50 or report a surgical team?
Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Team surgery is not permitted; an assistant at surgery may be paid, and co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure 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 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.
3,67331780,,Reconstruct windpipe,A,,19.34,8.69,NA,8.69,,2.82,30.85,30.85,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67431781,,Reconstruct windpipe,A,,24.23,8.91,NA,8.91,,3.54,36.68,36.68,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67531785,,Remove windpipe lesion,A,,17.89,7.01,NA,7.01,,2.61,27.51,27.51,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67631786,,Remove windpipe lesion,A,,24.78,9.72,NA,9.72,,6.24,40.74,40.74,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67731800,,Repair of windpipe injury,A,,7.98,10.15,NA,10.15,,1.17,19.30,19.30,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67831805,,Repair of windpipe injury,A,,13.08,7.43,NA,7.43,,3.29,23.80,23.80,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,67931820,,Closure of windpipe lesion,A,,4.52,8.14,,3.78,,0.69,13.35,8.99,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00