No office rate
60240 describes an initial total or complete thyroidectomy. Use 60260 when the current operation removes the thyroid tissue remaining after an earlier partial removal.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
60260 Thyroidectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Virginia
Reports completion thyroidectomy removing the remaining thyroid tissue after an earlier partial thyroid removal, often when later findings warrant definitive treatment. Compare 60260 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Virginia.
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 60260 in Virginia?
Virginia 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
$931.48–$1061.36
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.
Endocrine surgery
About 60260: Completion thyroidectomy after partial removal
Reports completion thyroidectomy removing the remaining thyroid tissue after an earlier partial thyroid removal, often when later findings warrant definitive treatment.
This code covers an operation to remove the thyroid tissue left behind after a prior partial thyroid removal. A common situation is a patient whose initial lobectomy is followed by a decision to remove the remaining thyroid tissue, such as after pathology findings change the treatment plan. The procedure is typically performed by an endocrine surgeon or an otolaryngologist/head-and-neck surgeon in a hospital operating room, where the surgeon works in a previously operated field.
Select this code when the current operation removes the remaining thyroid tissue following an earlier partial removal, not for an initial total thyroidectomy. The operative report should establish the prior partial surgery and describe the completion procedure. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For same-session procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. A bilateral service reported with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 60260
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- 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 RVU17.80 · 61%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.77 · 27%
- Malpractice RVU3.47 · 12%
1.2K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2833 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.
60260 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Virginia, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
60220 is a unilateral thyroid lobectomy. It does not describe completion removal of the remaining thyroid tissue after a prior partial operation.
No office rate
60252 includes thyroidectomy for malignancy with limited neck dissection. Choose it when that neck-dissection scope is part of the operation, rather than coding completion thyroidectomy alone.
Compare 60260 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
Dc + Md/Va Suburbs →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1061.36
Virginia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$931.48
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60260 billing questions
How is this different from an initial total thyroidectomy?
Use 60260 when the operation removes the thyroid tissue remaining after a prior partial thyroid removal. An initial total thyroidectomy is reported with 60240 when its circumstances meet that code.
Can 60260 be reported with 60240 for the same operation?
The completion removal is represented by 60260; do not separately report 60240 for the same thyroid removal.
What documentation supports 60260?
Document the earlier partial thyroid removal and the current operation to remove the remaining thyroid tissue. The operative report should make the completion nature of the procedure clear.
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. Those related services are part of the surgical global package.
How are bilateral procedures and assistants handled?
CMS pays a bilateral service reported with modifier 50 at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
What happens when 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%.
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.
6,70260240,,Removal of thyroid,A,,14.66,7.15,NA,7.15,,3.03,24.84,24.84,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,70360252,,Removal of thyroid,A,,21.46,9.56,NA,9.56,,4.27,35.29,35.29,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,70460254,,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