32608 reports the primary thoracoscopic biopsy of a lung nodule or mass. 32668 reports each additional diagnostic lung wedge resection with a qualifying primary procedure.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
32668 Thoracoscopic wedge Medicare reimbursement rates in Pennsylvania
Reports each additional lung wedge resection performed for diagnostic sampling during thoracoscopy, beyond the initial resection, with a qualifying primary procedure. Compare 32668 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 32668 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
$139.00–$149.23
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 32668: Additional diagnostic lung wedge resection
Reports each additional lung wedge resection performed for diagnostic sampling during thoracoscopy, beyond the initial resection, with a qualifying primary procedure.
A thoracic surgeon uses thoracoscopy to remove an additional wedge-shaped portion of lung for diagnostic examination, often when more than one nodule or area requires tissue sampling. The specimen is submitted for pathology. This code describes an additional diagnostic resection, not the initial wedge or a wedge performed therapeutically to remove a lesion. The service is typically performed in an operating room with the patient under anesthesia.
Report this add-on code only with a qualifying primary thoracoscopic procedure; it is commonly paired with diagnostic thoracoscopy for biopsy of a lung nodule or mass, such as 32608. The operative report should establish that an additional diagnostic wedge was actually resected, rather than simply biopsied or included in a therapeutic wedge procedure. CMS treats payment as part of the primary procedure’s global period, so this code is paid only when reported with the primary procedure and within that global period.
CMS billing rules for 32668
- Global period
- Add-on code: billed only together with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure's global period.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU2.93 · 69%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.59 · 14%
- Malpractice RVU0.73 · 17%
1.9K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2481 by national volume
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.
32668 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Pennsylvania, from the same CMS release.
32667 is for each additional therapeutic wedge resection; 32668 is for an additional wedge resection performed for diagnostic sampling.
32666 reports the initial therapeutic wedge resection and includes diagnostic wedge resection when performed. 32668 applies to an additional diagnostic wedge, not the therapeutic resection itself.
Compare 32668 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
$149.23
Rest Of Pennsylvania →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$139.00
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32668 billing questions
When should 32668 be reported instead of 32608?
Use 32608 for the primary thoracoscopic biopsy of a lung nodule or mass. Report 32668 for each additional diagnostic lung wedge resection when the primary procedure and documentation support the add-on service.
Can 32668 be billed by itself?
No. CMS identifies it as an add-on code, so it must be reported with a primary procedure and is paid within that procedure’s global period.
How does 32668 differ from 32667?
32668 describes an additional wedge resection for diagnostic sampling. 32667 describes each additional therapeutic wedge resection.
Does a diagnostic wedge performed during therapeutic resection support 32668?
A diagnostic wedge included with a therapeutic wedge procedure is not separately reported as an additional diagnostic resection. The operative report should distinguish a separately performed additional diagnostic wedge from tissue removed as part of therapeutic resection.
What documentation supports reporting an additional unit?
Document the additional diagnostic wedge resection, the lung site or lesion sampled, and the reason for obtaining the additional specimen. The record should distinguish it from the initial biopsy or wedge and from a therapeutic resection.
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.
