Billing code 31643: BronchoscopyMedicare rate & RVUs in Utah
Reports bronchoscopic placement of a catheter used to deliver a radiopharmaceutical agent, commonly for endobronchial brachytherapy in selected lung tumors.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 31643 in Utah.
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 31643 covers
A pulmonologist or interventional pulmonologist uses a rigid or flexible bronchoscope to guide a catheter through the airway for delivery of a radiopharmaceutical agent. The service is used in situations such as endobronchial brachytherapy for a lung tumor; the catheter placement is distinct from the subsequent radiation treatment. It is generally performed in a hospital or other facility equipped for therapeutic bronchoscopy and radiation procedures.
Report 31643 when the bronchoscopic catheter placement for agent delivery is performed. The procedure note should identify the catheter placement and its intended delivery purpose; a diagnostic airway inspection alone is not enough. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in one 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. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; 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.
31643 in Utah
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | Unavailable | $149.59 |
How the 31643 rate is calculated
Each of 31643’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 · 31643
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work3.40
3.40 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.88
0.88 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.28
0.28 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
4.5600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$152.31
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 31643
The CMS indicators that decide how 31643 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 31643
Bronchoscopy
| 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 | 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) | 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
31643 without 51 · national facility
$152.31
Bronchoscopy
31643-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$76.16
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%).
31643 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 31622Bronchoscopy
- Use 31622 for diagnostic bronchoscopy without catheter placement for radiopharmaceutical delivery. The catheter placement distinguishes 31643.
- 31626Fiducial placement
- 31626 covers placement of fiducial markers used for radiation targeting. 31643 is for bronchoscopic catheter placement to deliver a radiopharmaceutical agent.
- 31627Navigational bronchoscopy
- 31627 describes navigational bronchoscopy. Navigation to a lesion is different from placing a catheter for radiopharmaceutical delivery.
- 31645Bronchial aspiration
- 31645 describes therapeutic aspiration of the airway. It is not the catheter-placement service reported with 31643.
31643 billing questions
How is 31643 different from diagnostic bronchoscopy?
31643 requires bronchoscopic catheter placement for delivery of a radiopharmaceutical agent. A diagnostic airway examination without that placement is not 31643.
Can diagnostic bronchoscopy be reported separately for the same airway inspection?
The bronchoscopic access and inspection used to place the catheter are part of 31643. Do not separately report a diagnostic bronchoscopy code for that same work.
Is modifier 50 appropriate?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 should not be used.
How does the 0-day global period affect same-day care?
Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the procedure's 0-day global period.
What happens if another procedure is performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, and 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
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