CPT 31637 Reimbursement & Benchmarks | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 31637: Airway Stent Placement, Additional Bronchus (Add-on)

CPT code 31637 describes an add-on bronchoscopic procedure for placement of a stent in an additional major bronchus during the same session as initial stent placement. The procedure is performed via rigid or flexible bronchoscopy, may use fluoroscopic guidance, and can include dilatation of a narrowed segment prior to stent deployment. As an add-on code, 31637 captures incremental work when multiple bronchial stents are placed in a single operative setting. Nationally, this code is relevant for specialists in pulmonary medicine, thoracic surgery, and interventional pulmonology, and it affects hospital, ASC, and outpatient billing patterns for complex airway interventions.

Key payers covered in this overview include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise explanation of the clinical context and service types associated with 31637, plus the typical sites of service where the procedure is performed. The publication also outlines what to expect from benchmarking and policy-oriented content: payer coverage considerations, common modifier usage (listed elsewhere), and how the code interacts with related bronchoscopic and thoracic procedural coding. Where background data is not provided in the input, the text notes: "Data not available in the input."

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicarecpt-31637bronchoscopyairway-stentinterventional-pulmonologythoracic-surgeryadd-on-procedureendoscopy-suiteambulatory-surgery

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 31637 is an add-on bronchoscopic stent placement procedure performed during rigid or flexible bronchoscopy. The provider visualizes the airways, with or without fluoroscopic guidance, and places a stent in a second major bronchus during the same session after stent placement in an initial bronchus. The service may include dilatation of the narrowed airway if required prior to stent deployment.

Service Type: Bronchoscopic therapeutic procedure (airway stent placement, add-on)

Typical Site of Service: Hospital operating room, ambulatory surgery center, or endoscopy suite

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 64-year-old patient with a history of primary lung cancer presents with progressive shortness of breath and imaging showing focal narrowing of multiple segmental bronchi. The interventional pulmonology team schedules a single-session bronchoscopic intervention. Under general anesthesia in the operating room or a bronchoscopy suite with fluoroscopic capability, the provider performs rigid or flexible bronchoscopy to visualize the airways, assesses the previously placed stent in the main bronchus, and identifies an additional major bronchus with critical stenosis. After performing balloon dilatation of the narrowed segment as needed, the provider places an additional airway stent in the second major bronchus during the same session. Fluoroscopic guidance may be used to confirm stent position. The patient is monitored post-procedure in the PACU or recovery area and discharged per facility protocols or admitted if complications or respiratory compromise occur.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use when another procedure performed in a separate bronchial location during the same session is distinct from the primary bronchoscopic procedure.
`62`	Two surgeons

CPT 31628: Transbronchial Biopsy via Bronchoscopy, Single Lobe

CPT-31635-BRONCHOSCOPY-FOREIGN-BODY-REMOVAL

CPT 31635: Bronchoscopy With Foreign Body Removal

CPT-31636-AIRWAY-STENT-PLACEMENT-BRONCHOSCOPY

CPT 31636: Bronchoscopy with Airway Stent Placement

CPT-31630-THERAPEUTIC-BRONCHOSCOPY-AIRWAY-DILATION

CPT 31630: Bronchoscopy with Airway Dilation

CPT-31651-BRONCHIAL-VALVE-PLACEMENT-ADD-ON-BRONCHOSCOPIC

CPT 31651: Bronchial Valve Placement, Additional Lobe

CPT-31646-SUBSEQUENT-BRONCHOSCOPY-ASPIRATION

CPT 31646: Subsequent Bronchoscopy with Aspiration

CPT-31654-BRONCHOSCOPIC-INTRATHORACIC-ULTRASOUND-GUIDANCE-PERIPHERAL-LESIONS

CPT 31654: Bronchoscopy with Intrathoracic Ultrasound Guidance

CPT-31624-BRONCHIAL-ALVEOLAR-LAVAGE-BRONCHOSCOPY

CPT 31624: Bronchial Alveolar Lavage via Bronchoscopy

CPT-31633-TRANSBRONCHIAL-NEEDLE-ASPIRATION-ADD-ON-BIOPSY-ADDITIONAL-LOBE

CPT 31633: Transbronchial Needle Aspiration Biopsy of Additional Lobe

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

CPT 31629: Bronchoscopic Transbronchial Needle Aspiration Biopsy

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Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207RP0000X`	Pulmonology	Interventional pulmonologists commonly perform bronchoscopic stent placement.
`2084P0200X`	Thoracic Surgery	Thoracic surgeons perform complex airway stenting and surgical airway procedures.
`207SG0300X`	Critical Care Medicine	Intensivists may perform or assist with bronchoscopy in critically ill patients.
`363LF0000X`	Otolaryngology	Otolaryngologists (head and neck surgeons) perform airway stenting in select cases.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`J98.4`	Other disorders of lung	Airways abnormalities, scarring, or post-procedural airway complications that may require stenting.
`C34.90`	Malignant neoplasm of unspecified part of unspecified bronchus or lung	Primary lung cancer causing endobronchial obstruction treated with stent placement.
`C78.00`	Secondary malignant neoplasm of unspecified lung	Metastatic disease causing bronchial obstruction managed with airway stenting.
`I27.2`	Other secondary pulmonary hypertension	Vascular or extrinsic compression of airways in complex cardiopulmonary disease where airway stenting may be considered.
`J98.01`	Acute bronchospasm	Severe airway compromise during bronchoscopy may necessitate urgent airway interventions including stent placement.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`31622`	Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, including fluoroscopic guidance, when performed; with removal of foreign body, granulation tissue, or mucus plug	May be performed prior to stent placement to clear obstructing material or tumor burden.
`31623`	Bronchoscopy, with closed biopsy(s) by forceps or brushings	May be performed during the same session to obtain tissue for diagnosis before definitive stent placement.
`31624`	Bronchoscopy, with transbronchial lung biopsy(s)	May be performed if parenchymal sampling is needed during the airway evaluation.
`31628`	Bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsy, including fluoroscopic guidance	Used when fluoroscopic guidance is required for biopsy in the bronchoscopy session.
`31635`	Bronchoscopy with dilation of bronchial airway	Dilation of a stenotic bronchus is commonly performed immediately before stent placement and may be billed in conjunction.
`31637`	(Primary code) In this add–on procedure, the provider performs rigid or flexible bronchoscopy to view airways during a procedure and places a stent in an additional major bronchus after stent placement in an initial bronchus at the same session; dilatation may be performed if required	This add-on code is reported in the same session when an additional major bronchus receives a stent following stent placement in an initial bronchus.

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