No office rate
Both involve substernal thyroid tissue. Choose 60270 for the cervical route and 60271 when the operation uses a sternal split or thoracic approach.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
60270 Thyroidectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Virginia
Report this operation when a substernal thyroid requires surgical removal through a cervical incision rather than a sternal split or thoracic approach. Compare 60270 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 60270 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
$1177.38–$1343.68
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 60270: Substernal thyroidectomy, cervical approach
Report this operation when a substernal thyroid requires surgical removal through a cervical incision rather than a sternal split or thoracic approach.
This code describes removal of thyroid tissue that extends below the thoracic inlet, approached through an incision in the neck. It is typically performed by an endocrine, general, or head and neck surgeon in a hospital operating room when the substernal portion can be managed through the cervical route. The operative report should establish the substernal extension and describe the approach and extent of tissue removed.
Select this code based on the substernal thyroid and cervical approach, not simply because the gland is removed. Distinguish it from a thoracic or sternal-split approach and from thyroid removal without a substernal component. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care for 90 days. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team-surgery payment is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 60270
- 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 RVU22.62 · 61%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.48 · 26%
- Malpractice RVU4.69 · 13%
127
Medicare services in 2024 · #4692 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.
60270 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Virginia, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
60240 describes total or complete thyroidectomy. Use 60270 when the substernal location and cervical approach define the operation.
No office rate
60260 describes removal of thyroid tissue remaining after an earlier partial thyroidectomy. It is not selected solely because the gland has substernal extension.
No office rate
60252 is for thyroidectomy for malignancy with limited neck dissection. This code distinguishes a substernal thyroid removed through a cervical approach.
Compare 60270 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
$1343.68
Virginia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1177.38
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60270 billing questions
How is this different from code 60271?
Both describe removal of substernal thyroid tissue. This code is for a cervical approach; 60271 is for a sternal-split or thoracic approach.
When should I choose this instead of 60240?
Use this code when the operative documentation supports substernal thyroid tissue removed through a cervical approach. Code 60240 describes total or complete thyroidectomy without that substernal-approach distinction.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should describe the substernal extension, the cervical route used, and the thyroid tissue removed. Include the operative details supporting any assistant or co-surgeon claim.
Should modifier 50 be appended?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; report the substernal thyroid operation without modifier 50.
How does the 90-day global period affect related care?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while team-surgery payment is 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 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.
6,70360252,,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
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