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    v1.0.30
    OpenPayerBilling CodesEndoscopy Procedures on the Trachea and BronchiCPT cpt-31624-bronchial-alveolar-lavage-bronchoscopy
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    CPT 31624: Bronchial Alveolar Lavage via Bronchoscopy

    Medicare pays $297 on average nationally for this procedure.

    CPT code 31624 describes bronchial alveolar lavage performed through a rigid or flexible bronchoscope to wash and collect cells and fluid from the alveoli; this diagnostic bronchoscopy procedure may include fluoroscopic guidance and is typically delivered as an inpatient or outpatient bronchoscopy service in a hospital endoscopy suite or ambulatory surgical center.

    For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Automated Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring for Diagnosis of Hypertension in Patients with Elevated Office Blood Pressure, Cardiology - Ivabradine, Cardiac Computed Tomography (CCT)/Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography (CCTA).

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    Table of contents

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    Clinical & Coding Specifications

    Clinical Context

    A 58-year-old man with a history of chronic cough, progressive dyspnea, and diffuse bilateral interstitial opacities on chest CT is referred for bronchoscopic evaluation. The pulmonologist performs bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) using a flexible bronchoscope to obtain alveolar cellular and microbiologic samples to evaluate for suspected atypical infection, diffuse alveolar hemorrhage, or interstitial lung disease activity. The patient is brought to an outpatient endoscopy suite or hospital bronchoscopy unit, receives local anesthesia with topical lidocaine and moderate sedation (conscious sedation) administered by anesthesia or the bronchoscopist, and is continuously monitored with pulse oximetry, cardiac monitoring, and supplemental oxygen as needed. The bronchoscope is advanced to the targeted segment(s) under direct visualization; sterile saline aliquots are instilled and then aspirated for cytology, microbiology, and inflammatory cell counts. Fluoroscopic guidance may be used when focal peripheral sampling or radiographic localization is required. Post-procedure, the patient is observed in recovery until sedation effects have resolved and discharge criteria are met or admitted if clinically indicated.

    Related CPT Codes

    CPT CodeDescriptionRelationship to This Procedure
    31622Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, diagnostic, with or without cell washing or brushing, with or without protected specimen brush, with or without bronchial lavage (separate from BAL code)May be reported when diagnostic bronchoscopy with inspection and sampling (other than therapeutic BAL) is performed in addition to lavage; select appropriate code based on procedures documented.
    31623Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, with bronchoalveolar lavage when performed in combination with other bronchoscopic procedures (alternate coding depending on payer guidance)Reported for BAL performed during a bronchoscopy session when documentation supports combined services.
    31575Laryngoscopy, flexible or rigid, diagnostic, with or without stroboscopyMay be performed before bronchoscopy for upper airway assessment in select patients.
    31641Bronchoscopy, with transbronchial lung biopsy(s), single lobePerformed when tissue biopsy is required in addition to BAL for diagnosis of interstitial lung disease or malignancy.
    94010Bronchospasm evaluation (spirometry pre/post)Pulmonary function testing may be performed peri-procedurally to assess baseline respiratory status.
    99152Moderate sedation services provided by same physician performing procedure (initial 15 minutes)When the bronchoscopist provides moderate sedation rather than anesthesia personnel; bill per payer rules.

    Related Modifiers

    10 rows

    ModifierDescriptionWhen to Use
    25CPT modifier 25 indicates that on the same day as another procedure or service, the same physician or other qualified health care professional provided a significant, separately identifiable…- When to apply: Use modifier 25 only on an E/M code to indicate the same provider delivered a significant, separately identifiable E/M service on the same day as another procedure or service — i.e.,…
    26Modifier 26 (Professional Component) identifies and bills only the professional portion of a split service — the physician’s interpretation, report, and medical judgment — when the technical…- Use CPT Modifier -26 when you are billing only the professional component (PC) of a split‑bill eligible service—i.e., you performed the physician interpretation, medical judgment and prepared a…
    59Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
    52Modifier ‑52 (Reduced Services) indicates that a service or procedure was partially reduced or omitted at the provider’s discretion, allowing reporting of the basic procedure number with a qualifier…- Use modifier -52 when a physician or qualified health professional electively reduces or omits part of a procedure or service (for example, performing fewer required views or omitting a portion of…
    53Modifier 53 (Discontinued Procedure) signals that a surgical or diagnostic service was begun by the physician but terminated because of extenuating circumstances that threatened the patient’s…- Use modifier -53 when a physician/qualified healthcare professional has started a surgical or diagnostic procedure (e.g., anesthesia administered, incision or scope insertion) and then discontinues…
    76Modifier -76, Repeat Procedure or Service by Same Physician or Other Qualified Health Care Professional, is appended when the same provider performs an identical, medically necessary procedure or…- Use modifier -76 when the same physician or other qualified health care professional performs an identical procedure or service a second (or subsequent) time on the same date of service and the…
    77Modifier 77 indicates that a previously performed procedure or service was legitimately repeated by a different physician or other qualified health care professional. The AMA’s CPT definition…- Use modifier 77 when a basic procedure or service already performed is repeated by a different physician or other qualified health care professional (for example, a second provider independently…
    91Modifier 91 — “Repeat Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Test” — is appended when the exact same CPT laboratory test is performed more than once for the same patient on the same day because serial,…- Use modifier 91 when the exact same CPT laboratory test is performed more than once on the same patient on the same date because serial or repeated testing is medically necessary to monitor…
    74Modifier ‑74 indicates an outpatient hospital or ASC procedure that was discontinued after anesthesia was administered and after the procedure had begun. Use this modifier when anesthesia (local,…- Use modifier -74 when a procedure in an outpatient hospital or ASC setting is terminated after anesthesia has been administered and after the procedure has commenced (for example, after incision,…
    22Modifier –22 (Increased Procedural Services) is used when a reported procedure is substantially more extensive than normally required. The CPT Manual and CMS state it may be appended only when the…- When to use: Append modifier -22 to a procedural CPT code when the service performed is substantially more extensive than the usual service described by that code — i.e., the procedure required…

    Related Provider Taxonomies

    8 rows

    Taxonomy Code
    2084P0800X
    207L00000X
    208D00000X
    363LF0000X
    207XX0005X
    207RP1001X
    364SP0200X
    2865M2000X

    Related ICD-10-CM Codes

    28 rows

    ICD-10-CM CodeDescription
    A15.0Tuberculosis of lung
    A41.9Sepsis, unspecified organism
    B49Unspecified mycosis
    B59Pneumocystosis
    C34.11Malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, right bronchus or lung
    C34.90Malignant neoplasm of unspecified part of unspecified bronchus or lung
    D86.0Sarcoidosis of lung
    J15.9Unspecified bacterial pneumonia
    J18.9Pneumonia, unspecified organism
    J44.9Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, unspecified

    Showing 1–10 of 28

    Related Payer Policy Updates

    Specialty: Cardiology1 / 3

    10 rows

    PolicyPayerEffective Date
    Automated Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring for Diagnosis of Hypertension in Patients with Elevated Office Blood PressureBluecross Idaho2026-11-01
    Cardiology - IvabradineCigna2026-10-15
    Cardiac Computed Tomography (CCT)/Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography (CCTA)univerahealthcare2026-10-15
    Percutaneous Ventricular Assist DeviceUnitedHealthcare2026-10-01
    Cardiovascular Disease Risk AssessmentOscar Health2026-10-01
    Biomarkers for Myocardial Infarction and Chronic Heart FailureOscar Health2026-10-01
    Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction for Diagnostic Cardiovascular ProceduresBlue Cross Blue Shield - Maine2026-10-01
    Left Atrial Appendage Closure Devicesexcellus_health_plan_inc2026-09-17
    Left Atrial Appendage Closure Devicesuniverahealthcare2026-09-17
    Cardiac Omnibus CodesCigna2026-09-15

    Related Codes

    CPT-31615-TRACHEOBRONCHOSCOPY-THROUGH-TRACHEAL-OPENING

    CPT 31615: Tracheobronchoscopy via Tracheostomy

    CPT-31622-DIAGNOSTIC-BRONCHOSCOPY-AIRWAY-VISUALIZATION

    CPT 31622: Diagnostic Rigid or Flexible Bronchoscopy

    CPT-31623-BRONCHOSCOPIC-BRUSHING-DIAGNOSTIC

    CPT 31623: Bronchoscopic Brushing or Protected Brushing

    CPT-31625-BRONCHIAL-ENDOBRONCHIAL-BIOPSY-BRONCHOSCOPY

    CPT 31625: Bronchial or Endobronchial Biopsy via Bronchoscopy

    CPT-31626-BRONCHOSCOPIC-MARKER-PLACEMENT

    CPT 31626: Bronchoscopic Marker Placement for Surgical Localization

    CPT-31627-IMAGE-GUIDED-BRONCHOSCOPIC-NAVIGATION

    CPT 31627: Image-Guided Navigation for Bronchoscopy

    CPT-31628-TRANSBRONCHIAL-BIOPSY-BRONCHOSCOPY-SINGLE-LOBE

    CPT 31628: Transbronchial Biopsy of Single Lobe via Bronchoscopy

    CPT-31629-TRANSBRONCHIAL-NEEDLE-ASPIRATION-BRONCHOSCOPIC-BIOPSY

    CPT 31629: Transbronchial Needle Aspiration Biopsy of Trachea/Bronchus

    CPT-31630-THERAPEUTIC-BRONCHOSCOPY-AIRWAY-DILATION

    CPT 31630: Tracheal/Tracheobronchial Dilation via Bronchoscopy

    CPT-31631-TRACHEAL-STENT-PLACEMENT-BRONCHOSCOPY

    CPT 31631: Bronchoscopy with Tracheal Stent Placement

    Showing 1–10 of 29

    Frequently Asked Questions

    References

    1. 1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
    2. 2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
    3. 3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.
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