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31610 Tracheostomy fenest skin flp

What 31610 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Tracheostomy fenest skin flp.

Full CPT long descriptions are licensed by the American Medical Association and are not published on this site; the short descriptor above is the one CMS prints in its own fee schedule file. See About CPT.

Medicare payment for 31610 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)11.7012.151.9225.77$860.74
Facility (hospital, ASC)11.7012.151.9225.77$860.74

National rates: total RVUs x the CY2026 conversion factor of 33.4009 (non-QP), before geographic adjustment. Actual Medicare payment is 80% of the rate shown after the deductible; the patient or secondary payer owes the 20% coinsurance.


Status: Active - payable under the Physician Fee Schedule. Global period: 90-day global period.

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Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)

Medicare caps 31610 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 2 - date of service edit (absolute): units above the MUE never pay), rationale: Anatomic Consideration. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.

Billed with 31610? These codes are bundled into it

31610 is a Column 1 code in 225 active NCCI PTP edits. When one of these Column 2 codes is reported on the same date of service, it is denied as bundled - unless the edit's modifier indicator is 1 and documentation supports a distinct service with an NCCI-associated modifier.

Column 2 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
00320Anes all px neck nos 1yr/>0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
00326Anes all px larynx&trach<1yr0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
00520Anes closed chest px nos0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
0213TNjx paravert w/us cer/thor0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
0216TNjx paravert w/us lumb/sac0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
0596TTemp fml iu vlv-pmp 1st insj1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0597TTemp fml iu valve-pmp rplcmt1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0708TId ca immntx prep & 1st njx1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0709TId ca immntx each addl njx1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0903TEcg alg 12 lead reduced i&r1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0904TEcg alg 12 ld rdcd trcg only1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0905TEcg alg 12 ld rdcd i&r only1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12001Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trnk 2.5cm/<1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12002Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trnk2.6-7.5cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12004Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trk7.6-12.5cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12005Rpr s/n/a/gen/trk12.6-20.0cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12006Rpr s/n/a/gen/trk20.1-30.0cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12007Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trnk >30.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12011Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 2.5 cm/<1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12013Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 2.6-5.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12014Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 5.1-7.5 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12015Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 7.6-12.5 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12016Rpr fe/e/en/l/m 12.6-20.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12017Rpr fe/e/en/l/m 20.1-30.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12018Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m >30.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12020Tx supfc wnd dehsn smpl clsr1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12021Tx supfc wnd dehsn w/packing1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12031Intmd rpr s/a/t/ext 2.5 cm/<1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12032Intmd rpr s/a/t/ext 2.6-7.51 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12034Intmd rpr s/tr/ext 7.6-12.51 - modifier may bypassCheck pair

Showing 30 of 225 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.

31610 is bundled into these codes

31610 appears as a Column 2 code in 9 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 31610 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
31502Change of windpipe airway1Check pair
31584Laryngoplasty fx rdctj fixj1Check pair
31603Emer tracheostomy ttrach1Check pair
31605Emer tracheostomy cthyr mem1Check pair
31612Perq trchl pnxr ttrach aspir1Check pair
31613Tracheostoma revj simple1Check pair
31614Tracheostoma revj complex1Check pair
31615Trcheobrnchsc est trachs inc1Check pair
61576Skull base/brainstem surgery1Check pair

Data: CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule RVU file (October release, RVU26D) and Medicare NCCI PTP practitioner edits v32.3 (2026 Q4). Verify against the official files before billing or contracting decisions.