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32098 Open biopsy of lung pleura

What 32098 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Open biopsy of lung pleura.

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 32098 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)12.595.953.0621.60$721.46
Facility (hospital, ASC)12.595.953.0621.60$721.46

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 32098 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 2 - date of service edit (absolute): units above the MUE never pay), rationale: CMS Policy. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.

Billed with 32098? These codes are bundled into it

32098 is a Column 1 code in 259 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
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
10005Fna bx w/us gdn 1st les1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
10007Fna bx w/fluor gdn 1st les1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
10009Fna bx w/ct gdn 1st les1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
10011Fna bx w/mr gdn 1st les1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
10021Fna bx w/o img gdn 1st les1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11000Dbrdmt ecz/infected skin<10%1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11001Dbrdmt ecz/infct skn ea addl1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11004Dbrdmt skin xtrnl gent&per1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11005Dbrdmt skin abdominal wall1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11006Dbrdmt skin xtrnl gent per1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11042Dbrdmt subq tis 1st 20sqcm/<1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11043Dbrdmt musc&/fsca 1st 20/<1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11044Dbrdmt bone 1st 20 sq cm/<1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11045Dbrdmt subq tiss each addl1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11046Dbrdmt musc&/fsca ea addl1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11047Dbrdmt bone each addl1 - 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

Showing 30 of 259 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.

32098 is bundled into these codes

32098 appears as a Column 2 code in 35 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 32098 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
32035Thoracostomy w/rib resection1Check pair
32036Thoracostomy w/flap drainage1Check pair
32096Open wedge/bx lung infiltr1Check pair
32097Open wedge/bx lung nodule1Check pair
32110Explore/repair chest1Check pair
32120Re-exploration of chest1Check pair
32124Explore chest free adhesions1Check pair
32140Removal of lung lesion(s)1Check pair
32141Remove/treat lung lesions1Check pair
32150Removal of lung lesion(s)1Check pair
32151Remove lung foreign body1Check pair
32160Open chest heart massage1Check pair
32440Remove lung pneumonectomy1Check pair
32442Sleeve pneumonectomy1Check pair
32445Removal of lung extrapleural1Check 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.