The target determines the choice: 39401 is for mediastinal mass or tissue biopsy, while 39402 is for mediastinal lymph-node biopsy.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
39401 Mediastinoscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Wyoming
Report mediastinoscopy with biopsy when a surgeon uses a mediastinoscope to sample a mediastinal mass or tissue rather than mediastinal lymph nodes. Compare 39401 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Wyoming.
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 39401 in Wyoming?
Wyoming has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$281.13
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Wyoming**
One mapped payment locality.
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.
Thoracic surgery
About 39401: Mediastinoscopy with mediastinal biopsy
Report mediastinoscopy with biopsy when a surgeon uses a mediastinoscope to sample a mediastinal mass or tissue rather than mediastinal lymph nodes.
A thoracic surgeon typically performs this procedure in an operating room, advancing a mediastinoscope through an incision at the base of the neck to reach and biopsy a mediastinal mass or other mediastinal tissue. The approach provides access to tissue behind the sternum for diagnostic evaluation, including in patients being assessed for a mediastinal lesion. The biopsy is part of the reported service.
Choose this code for mediastinal tissue or mass biopsy; use the lymph-node biopsy code when the sampled targets are mediastinal lymph nodes. The operative report should identify the mediastinal target and document the scope-guided biopsy. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. 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 for this service. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 39401
- 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU5.30 · 61%
- Practice expense (office) RVU2.14 · 24%
- Malpractice RVU1.32 · 15%
177
Medicare services in 2024 · #4435 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.
39401 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Wyoming, from the same CMS release.
Both can involve mediastinal biopsy, but 32606 describes a thoracoscopic diagnostic approach; 39401 describes mediastinoscopy.
Unlisted px mediastinum
Use 39499 only when the mediastinal procedure performed is not represented by a specific listed code such as 39401.
Compare 39401 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.
1 of 1 payment localities
Wyoming** →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$281.13
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 39401 in Wyoming**.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
4,778
- Code
- 39401
- Physician work
- 5.30
- Practice expense
- 2.14
- Malpractice
- 1.32
GPCI2026.csv
112
- Locality
- Wyoming**
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.000
- Malpractice
- 0.740
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 5.30 | × 1.000 | 5.3000 |
| Practice expense | 2.14 | × 1.000 | 2.1400 |
| Malpractice | 1.32 | × 0.740 | 0.9768 |
| Total RVUs | 8.4168 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Wyoming**$281.13
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.3 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 2.14 | 1 |
| Malpractice | 1.32 | 0.74 |
(5.3 × 1 + 2.14 × 1 + 1.32 × 0.74) × $33.4009 = $281.13
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
39401 billing questions
When should 39401 be chosen instead of 39402?
Use 39401 when the mediastinoscopy biopsy targets a mediastinal mass or other mediastinal tissue. Use 39402 when the sampled targets are mediastinal lymph nodes.
Is the biopsy separately reported from the mediastinoscopy?
No. The biopsy is included in the mediastinoscopy service described by this code.
What care is included in the global period?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
Can modifier 50 or an assistant-at-surgery modifier be used?
Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this procedure.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard 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.
