Summary & Overview
CPT 31240: Endoscopic Intranasal Procedure for Concha Bullosa Removal
CPT code 31240 represents an endoscopic intranasal procedure used to assist with removal or reduction of a concha bullosa — an air pocket within a nasal turbinate. This code is significant nationally because it identifies a common surgical approach within otolaryngology for patients with symptomatic turbinate pathology that can impact breathing, sinus function, and quality of life. Use of this code affects facility and professional billing in ambulatory surgical centers and hospital outpatient departments.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for the procedure, typical sites of service, and which payers commonly process claims for this service. The publication outlines standard benchmarking elements and policy-relevant issues tied to coverage and coding for endoscopic nasal procedures, and explains how CPT code 31240 fits into broader otolaryngology service lines.
The report provides practical reference material: a clear description of the procedure, expected billing context, common modifiers and claim components (listed elsewhere in the publication), and notes on where to find related codes and clinical documentation points. Data not provided in the input is identified as such.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 31240 describes an endoscopic intranasal procedure performed to assist with concha bullosa removal. In this procedure, a provider inserts an endoscope into the nasal cavity to visualize the middle turbinate and facilitate reduction or excision of an air-filled cavity (concha bullosa) within a turbinate bone.
Service type: Endoscopic nasal surgery / nasal turbinate procedure
Typical site of service: Ambulatory surgical center or hospital outpatient department, depending on clinical complexity and facility resources.
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Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is a 25–50-year-old adult presenting to an otolaryngology clinic with chronic nasal obstruction, facial pressure, or recurrent sinusitis refractory to medical therapy. Examination with nasal endoscopy and CT imaging demonstrates a concha bullosa ( pneumatized middle turbinate ) causing significant lateralization or contact with the nasal septum and obstructing the middle meatus. After failed conservative measures (intranasal steroids, nasal saline, antibiotics as indicated), the patient is scheduled for an endoscopic partial or total middle turbinate resection or lateralization under CPT 31240 — nasal endoscopy, surgical, with concha bullosa resection. The procedure is typically performed in an ambulatory surgery center or hospital operating room under general anesthesia with monitored anesthesia care. The clinical workflow includes preoperative evaluation and informed consent, topical and local decongestion in the nose, endoscopic visualization, removal or reduction of the pneumatized turbinate with forceps, microdebrider, or powered instrumentation, intraoperative hemostasis, and postoperative instructions with topical irrigations and follow-up for endoscopic exam and possible debridement. Perioperative documentation should include indication, CT or endoscopy findings, laterality, extent of resection (partial vs total), hemostasis method, and any intraoperative complications. Common intraoperative adjuncts may include septoplasty or endoscopic sinus surgery if concurrent pathology is present; those additional procedures are reported with their appropriate CPT codes when performed.
Coding Specifications
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