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39000 Exploration of chest

What 39000 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Exploration of chest.

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 39000 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)7.385.661.6914.73$492.00
Facility (hospital, ASC)7.385.661.6914.73$492.00

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 39000 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 2 - date of service edit (absolute): units above the MUE never pay), rationale: Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.

Billed with 39000? These codes are bundled into it

39000 is a Column 1 code in 247 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 247 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.

39000 is bundled into these codes

39000 appears as a Column 2 code in 247 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 39000 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
0484TTmvi transthoracic exposure1Check pair
0543TTa mv rpr w/artif chord tend1Check pair
0545TTcat tv annulus rcnstj1Check pair
0643TTcat l ventr rstrj dev implt1Check pair
0646TTtvi/rplcmt w/prstc vlv perq1Check pair
0920TRmvl perm ccm-d sys 1 pac ld1Check pair
0921TRmvl perm ccm-d sys 1 dfb ld1Check pair
0922TRmvl perm ccm-d sys dual ld1Check pair
31760Tracheoplasty intrathoracic1Check pair
31766Carinal reconstruction1Check pair
31770Repair/graft of bronchus1Check pair
31775Reconstruct bronchus1Check pair
31781Reconstruct windpipe1Check pair
31786Remove windpipe lesion1Check pair
31805Repair of windpipe injury1Check 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.