Billing code 32601: Diagnostic thoracoscopyMedicare rate & RVUs in Virginia
Reports thoracoscopic inspection of the chest for diagnosis when the procedure does not include a biopsy or a more definitive thoracic intervention.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 32601 in Virginia.
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 32601 covers
A thoracic surgeon uses a scope inserted through the chest wall to inspect the pleural space and visible thoracic structures for diagnostic evaluation. This may be performed in a hospital operating room when imaging or other evaluation has not established the cause of a pleural or intrathoracic finding. The service is limited to diagnostic inspection; tissue sampling or a therapeutic procedure calls for the code describing that work instead.
Choose this code when the operative report supports thoracoscopic examination without biopsy or a more definitive procedure. Document the reason for the examination and the findings. The CMS global period is 0 days, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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.
Where 32601 pays more and less in Virginia
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Dc + Md/Va Suburbs | Unavailable | $314.51 |
| Virginia | Unavailable | $274.27 |
How the 32601 rate is calculated
Each of 32601’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 · 32601
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 5.36Practice expense 1.96Malpractice 1.31
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 32601
The CMS indicators that decide how 32601 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 32601
Diagnostic thoracoscopy
| 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) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| 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
32601 without 51 · national facility
$288.25
Diagnostic thoracoscopy
32601-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$144.13
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%).
32601 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
32601 vs 32609 vs 32608 vs 32668: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 32609Pleural biopsy
- Use 32609 when the thoracoscopic service includes pleural tissue sampling; use 32601 for diagnostic inspection without biopsy.
- 32608Thoracoscopic biopsy
- 32608 applies when a lung nodule is biopsied thoracoscopically. Inspection without nodule tissue sampling is the distinction for 32601.
- 32668Thoracoscopic wedge
- 32668 describes a thoracoscopic wedge resection for diagnosis, not inspection alone. Report the resection code when lung tissue is removed in a wedge.
32601 billing questions
When should this code be chosen over a thoracoscopic biopsy code?
Use it for diagnostic inspection without tissue sampling. If the surgeon obtains a biopsy, select the code for the sampled site, such as pleura, mediastinum, or a lung nodule.
Can diagnostic thoracoscopy be reported separately when a biopsy is performed?
When the same thoracoscopic session includes biopsy, report the code describing the biopsy rather than separately reporting the diagnostic inspection.
Does modifier 50 apply when both sides are examined?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
What is included in the 0-day global period?
Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. The global period is 0 days.
How does payment change when another procedure is performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and the other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction, with payment at 50%.
When may an assistant surgeon be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when documentation supports medical necessity. 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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