$906.12–$1,038.23
Use 31626 when marker placement is performed through a bronchoscope. Use 32553 for percutaneous placement through the chest wall.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
32553 Radiation marker Medicare reimbursement rates in Washington
Percutaneous, image-guided placement of markers in a thoracic lesion supports radiation treatment planning and is reported for each lesion treated. Compare 32553 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Washington.
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 32553 in Washington?
Washington 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
$509.04–$577.20
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$151.70–$160.81
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.
Pulmonary procedures
About 32553: Percutaneous radiation guidance marker placement
Percutaneous, image-guided placement of markers in a thoracic lesion supports radiation treatment planning and is reported for each lesion treated.
Code 32553 describes percutaneous placement of an interstitial marker, such as a fiducial, in a thoracic lesion to guide radiation treatment. An interventional radiologist, pulmonologist, or thoracic surgeon may place markers under imaging guidance, commonly for a lung tumor being planned for stereotactic radiation. Imaging guidance is part of the service described by this code.
Report one unit for each lesion receiving marker placement, and document the target lesion, percutaneous approach, imaging guidance, and placement performed. The code has a 0-day global period, 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 other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. The descriptor is not bilateral; modifier 50 is inappropriate. CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment, but not co-surgeon or team-surgery billing.
CMS billing rules for 32553
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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 not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU3.46 · 24%
- Practice expense (office) RVU10.87 · 74%
- Malpractice RVU0.38 · 3%
917
Medicare services in 2024 · #3033 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.
32553 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Washington, from the same CMS release.
$359.79–$411.62
10035 describes percutaneous placement of a soft-tissue localization device, generally for localization rather than radiation treatment guidance. Code 32553 is specific to interstitial devices placed for radiation guidance.
$322.35–$365.47
32555 is image-guided aspiration of pleural fluid. It treats a pleural fluid collection, not placement of a marker in a lesion for radiation guidance.
Compare 32553 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
Rest Of Washington →
Office / nonfacility
$509.04
Facility
$151.70
Seattle (King Cnty) →
Office / nonfacility
$577.20
Facility
$160.81
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32553 billing questions
How does 32553 differ from bronchoscopic marker placement?
32553 is for percutaneous placement through the chest wall with imaging guidance. CPT 31626 describes marker placement by a bronchoscopic approach.
How many units should be reported for multiple lesions?
Report a unit for each lesion receiving marker placement. The procedure documentation should identify the treated lesion or lesions and the placement performed at each.
Is imaging guidance separately reported?
Imaging guidance is included in the service described by 32553. Do not report it separately for guidance used to perform that marker placement.
Should modifier 50 be used for markers placed on both sides?
No. The descriptor is not bilateral, and modifier 50 is inappropriate. Report the service by lesion treated.
Can an assistant-at-surgery or co-surgeon be billed?
CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment for this code. Co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.
What happens when 32553 is performed with another procedure?
For procedures performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% 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.
3,72932550,,Insert pleural cath,A,,3.82,19.13,,1.10,,0.51,23.46,5.43,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73032551,,Insertion of chest tube,A,,2.96,0.77,NA,0.77,,0.55,4.28,4.28,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73132552,,Remove lung catheter,A,,2.47,2.88,,1.59,,0.36,5.71,4.42,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73232553,,Ins mark thor for rt perq,A,,3.46,10.87,,0.71,,0.38,14.71,4.55,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73332554,,Aspirate pleura w/o imaging,A,,1.77,5.82,,0.39,,0.21,7.80,2.37,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73432555,,Aspirate pleura w/ imaging,A,,2.21,6.88,,0.38,,0.22,9.31,2.81,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,73532556,,Insert cath pleura w/o image,A,,2.44,22.37,,0.54,,0.37,25.18,3.35,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00