Billing code 31551: LaryngoplastyMedicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports surgical reconstruction of a narrowed larynx to improve the airway, rather than endoscopic dilation alone, when the documented repair matches this laryngoplasty code.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 31551 in Texas.
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 31551 covers
This operation addresses stenosis within the larynx by surgically enlarging or reconstructing the narrowed airway. An otolaryngologist typically performs the repair in a hospital operating room. The operative report should identify the narrowed site and describe the reconstructive work; a history of airway injury or scarring helps explain why repair was undertaken but does not, by itself, establish the code.
Select 31551 from the laryngeal stenosis laryngoplasty series using the actual operative details, rather than the diagnosis alone. CMS treats it as major surgery: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. When other procedures are performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%. Report the laryngeal repair without modifier 50; CMS makes no bilateral adjustment. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity, and co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation. CMS does not permit team surgery billing for this code.
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 31551 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | Unavailable | $1,394.26 |
| Beaumont | Unavailable | $1,312.95 |
| Brazoria | Unavailable | $1,349.50 |
| Dallas | Unavailable | $1,361.00 |
| Fort Worth | Unavailable | $1,356.63 |
| Galveston | Unavailable | $1,355.53 |
| Houston | Unavailable | $1,411.36 |
| Rest Of Texas | Unavailable | $1,332.52 |
How the 31551 rate is calculated
Each of 31551’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 · 31551
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work20.96
20.96 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense17.05
17.05 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice3.05
3.05 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
41.0600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,371.44
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 31551
31551 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 31551
Laryngoplasty
| 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) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| 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 · 31551
Laryngoplasty
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
31551 without 51 · national facility
$1,371.44
Laryngoplasty
31551-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$685.72
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%).
31551 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 31528Laryngoscopy dilation
- 31528 describes laryngoscopy with dilation. Choose 31551 when the surgeon performs the documented laryngeal reconstruction, rather than dilation as the treatment.
- 31552Laryngoplasty
- Both belong to the laryngeal stenosis laryngoplasty series. The diagnosis alone cannot distinguish them; compare the operative technique documented for the repair with each code's description.
- 31553Laryngoplasty
- 31553 is another stenosis laryngoplasty choice. Select between it and 31551 from the documented reconstruction, not solely from the location or severity of narrowing.
31551 billing questions
When is endoscopic dilation reported instead of 31551?
Use a laryngoscopy-and-dilation code when the documented treatment is dilation of the narrowed airway, rather than the surgical laryngeal reconstruction reported by 31551.
How is 31551 distinguished from 31552 through 31554?
They are separate choices within the laryngeal stenosis laryngoplasty series. Match the operative report's reconstruction details to the specific code description rather than choosing from the stenosis diagnosis alone.
Is diagnostic laryngoscopy separately reported when it provides the operative view?
Do not separately report diagnostic laryngoscopy for visualization that is part of performing the laryngoplasty. A separately identifiable diagnostic examination requires its own documented purpose and work.
Can modifier 50 be appended for a repair involving both sides of the larynx?
No. CMS makes no bilateral adjustment for 31551; report the laryngeal repair without modifier 50.
What support is needed for an assistant or co-surgeon claim?
An assistant-at-surgery claim requires documented medical necessity. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while CMS does not permit team surgery billing for 31551.
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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