CPT code 32815: Fistula closure2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Vermont
Reports open surgical closure of a bronchial fistula, typically for a persistent communication causing an airway leak into the pleural space.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 32815 in Vermont.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
Your location
On this page 9 sections
What 32815 covers
A thoracic surgeon uses this code for an open operation to close a communication from a bronchus, commonly a persistent bronchopleural fistula after lung resection. These repairs are generally performed in a hospital operating room when the airway defect requires surgical closure; they are distinct from closing an open chest-wall drainage site. The operative report should identify the bronchus and fistula, the reason for repair, the surgical approach, and the work performed to achieve closure.
The code has a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are 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 multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team-surgery payment is 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.
32815 in Vermont
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | Unavailable | $2,419.82 |
How the 32815 rate is calculated
Each of 32815’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 · 32815
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work48.78
48.78 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense17.61
17.61 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice12.32
12.32 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
78.7100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$2,628.98
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 32815
32815 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 32815
Fistula closure
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are 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) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.76/0.14 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 32815
Fistula closure
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
32815 without 51 · national facility
$2,628.98
Fistula closure
32815-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,314.49
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%).
32815 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 32810Chest closure
- Choose 32810 for closure of a chest-wall drainage opening; choose 32815 when the operative target is the bronchial fistula.
- 32800Lung hernia repair
- Code 32800 treats a lung hernia. It does not describe closure of an abnormal bronchial communication.
- 32820Chest wall reconstruction
- Code 32820 addresses chest-wall reconstruction following injury, rather than closure of a bronchial fistula.
32815 billing questions
How is this different from 32810?
Code 32815 is for surgical closure of the bronchial communication. Code 32810 addresses closure of a chest-wall opening created for drainage.
Can modifier 50 be used for a fistula on either side?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; do not report modifier 50.
Can an assistant surgeon be reported?
CMS allows assistant-at-surgery payment for this procedure. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
What documentation supports reporting 32815?
Document the bronchial fistula and its location, the clinical reason for repair, the operative approach, and the surgeon’s closure work.
Does the code include related postoperative visits?
Yes. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
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
Fee sheets
Put 32815 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →