No office rate
Both involve thyroid removal for substernal extension. Choose 60271 when sternotomy is used; 60270 describes the cervical approach.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
60271 Thyroidectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Texas
Reports thyroid removal for substernal extension when the surgeon uses a sternotomy to reach the thyroid, rather than a cervical approach alone. Compare 60271 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Texas.
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 60271 in Texas?
Texas has 8 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 8 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No 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.
Where 60271 pays more and less in Texas
Thyroid surgery
About 60271: Thyroidectomy with sternotomy for substernal disease
Reports thyroid removal for substernal extension when the surgeon uses a sternotomy to reach the thyroid, rather than a cervical approach alone.
This service involves surgical removal of thyroid tissue with substernal extension when access requires opening the sternum. It is commonly performed in an operating room by an endocrine or general surgeon; a thoracic surgeon may participate when the mediastinal component makes that necessary. A large substernal goiter with extension below the thoracic inlet is a typical clinical situation, but the operative approach—not the diagnosis alone—distinguishes this service from cervical thyroidectomy.
Select the code from the operative report’s documented approach and extent of thyroid removal. Documentation should establish the substernal component and that sternotomy was performed. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 60271
- 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 RVU17.18 · 61%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.69 · 27%
- Malpractice RVU3.46 · 12%
1.7K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2581 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.
60271 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Texas, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
60240 describes total or complete thyroidectomy. This code is distinguished by substernal extension requiring sternotomy.
No office rate
60252 describes thyroidectomy for malignancy with limited neck dissection. This code is selected for the substernal thyroidectomy requiring sternotomy, based on the documented service.
No office rate
60260 is for removing thyroid tissue remaining after a prior partial removal. This code describes the substernal thyroidectomy performed through sternotomy.
Compare 60271 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.
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | Office Unavailable | Facility $949.12 |
| Beaumont | Office Unavailable | Facility $914.93 |
| Brazoria | Office Unavailable | Facility $923.10 |
| Dallas | Office Unavailable | Facility $933.97 |
| Fort Worth | Office Unavailable | Facility $932.91 |
| Galveston | Office Unavailable | Facility $929.16 |
| Houston | Office Unavailable | Facility $992.49 |
| Rest Of Texas | Office Unavailable | Facility $921.94 |
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60271 billing questions
How do I distinguish this code from 60270?
Use this code when the substernal thyroid is removed through a sternotomy. Code 60270 is the related substernal thyroidectomy performed through a cervical approach.
Does a substernal goiter alone support this code?
No. The operative documentation should establish both substernal extension and that sternotomy was used for access; the diagnosis alone does not establish the approach.
Should modifier 50 be reported?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only when supporting documentation is provided; team surgery is not permitted.
What happens if 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.
6,70460254,,Extensive thyroid surgery,A,,27.71,11.13,NA,11.13,,5.52,44.36,44.36,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,70560260,,Repeat thyroid surgery,A,,17.80,7.77,NA,7.77,,3.47,29.04,29.04,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,70660270,,Removal of thyroid,A,,22.62,9.48,NA,9.48,,4.69,36.79,36.79,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,70760271,,Removal of thyroid,A,,17.18,7.69,NA,7.69,,3.46,28.33,28.33,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,70860280,,Remove thyroid duct lesion,A,,6.01,5.33,NA,5.33,,0.93,12.27,12.27,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,70960281,,Remove thyroid duct lesion,A,,8.60,5.87,NA,5.87,,1.26,15.73,15.73,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,71060300,,Aspir/inj thyroid cyst,A,,0.95,2.03,,0.19,,0.11,3.09,1.25,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00