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CPT 32480: Single-Lobe Lobectomy

CPT code 32480 represents a surgical lobectomy limited to the removal of a single pulmonary lobe. As a core thoracic surgery code, it captures definitive operative management for focal lung disease and is a key item in surgical, oncologic, and inpatient care workflows. Nationally, accurate coding for 32480 affects hospital case mix, surgical quality measures, and payer reimbursement for complex inpatient procedures.

This analysis covers major national payers: Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context and typical sites of service, along with benchmarking and policy-relevant considerations where available. The content summarizes coding scope, common use cases in thoracic surgery, and the implications for hospital billing and case classification.

The publication provides practical reference material: a description of the procedure captured by 32480, expected care setting, and the kinds of benchmarks and policy updates that organizations commonly review when monitoring utilization of major surgical codes. Data not provided in the input — such as payer-specific rate schedules, associated ICD-10 diagnoses, and related procedure codes — are noted as unavailable.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 32480 describes the surgical removal of a single lobe of the lung (lobectomy of one lobe). This is a surgical thoracic procedure performed to treat localized lung pathology such as tumors, infectious processes, or other focal disease requiring resection.

Service type: Surgical lobectomy
Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or inpatient surgical setting

Data not available in the input.

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CPT 32480: Single-Lobe Lobectomy

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Surgical lobectomy
Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or inpatient surgical setting

Data not available in the input.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 65-year-old patient with a history of chronic smoking presents with persistent hemoptysis, weight loss, and an enlarging right upper-lobe pulmonary mass on CT chest. Biopsy confirms non–small cell lung carcinoma confined to a single lobe without distant metastasis. Preoperative evaluation includes pulmonary function testing (FEV1, DLCO), cardiology clearance, and anesthesiology assessment. The thoracic surgical team performs a lobectomy via thoracotomy or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) to remove the single affected lobe. Intraoperative steps include general endotracheal anesthesia with single-lung ventilation, vascular and bronchial control of the lobar structures, lymph node sampling or dissection, hemostasis, chest tube placement, and postoperative transfer to a monitored recovery or surgical floor. Postoperative management includes pain control, respiratory therapy, incentive spirometry, chest tube management, and pathology review to guide adjuvant therapy decisions.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work, time, or complexity of the lobectomy substantially exceeds the usual.
`26`	Professional component	Use if only the surgeon's professional component is billed separately from technical/supply charges (rare for operative CPTs).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when a bilateral pulmonary lobectomy is performed (extremely uncommon).
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when additional distinct procedures are performed at the same operative session and modifier reporting is required.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the lobectomy is partially reduced or not completed as planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if the lobectomy was started but terminated for reasons unrelated to patient improvement.
`54`	Surgical care only	Use when only the operative portion is billed and pre/postoperative care is billed by another provider.
`55`	Postoperative management only	Use when another provider billed the surgery and this physician bills only the postoperative care.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when a co-surgeon performs distinct portions of the lobectomy requiring two surgeons.
`66`	Surgical team	Use when multiple surgeons from a team perform portions of the procedure under a documented team approach.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon provides assistance throughout the lobectomy.
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when a minimum assistant provides limited assistance.
`82`	Assistant not available	Use when a qualified assistant is not available and an unqualified assistant assists per policy.
`AS`	Ambulatory surgical center payment	Use when the procedure is performed in an ambulatory surgical center setting for payer reporting (rare for lobectomy).
`LT`	Left side	Use to identify laterality when reporting laterality-specific modifiers or payer requirements.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2086S	Thoracic Surgery	Primary specialty performing pulmonary lobectomy.
2080S	Cardiothoracic Surgery	Surgeons trained in thoracic and cardiac procedures performing lobectomies.
2084P0200X	General Surgery	General surgeons with thoracic experience in some settings.
207RH0000X	Anesthesiology	Provides general anesthesia and single-lung ventilation management.
207K00000X	Pulmonary Disease	Pulmonologists manage preoperative evaluation and postoperative care.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`31625`	Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, with bronchial or transbronchial biopsy	Performed preoperatively for tissue diagnosis or intraoperatively for localization.
`32405`	Thoracotomy, with diagnostic wedge resection of lung	May be performed when a limited diagnostic resection is done instead of lobectomy.
`32663`	Thoracoscopy, surgical; with lobectomy, total lung, single lobe (VATS lobectomy)	Alternative approach code set for VATS lobectomy procedures (used when VATS technique specified).
`32551`	Tube thoracostomy, includes water seal (e.g., chest tube)	Commonly placed during or after lobectomy for postoperative drainage.
`38900`	Insertion of central venous access device (e.g., pulmonary artery catheter)	May be used perioperatively for invasive monitoring or central access.

CPT 32440: Thoracotomy for Removal of Lung

CPT-32442-PNEUMONECTOMY-WITH-BRONCHOTRACHEAL-ANASTOMOSIS

CPT 32442: Pneumonectomy With Broncho–Tracheal Anastomosis

CPT-32445-RADICAL-PNEUMONECTOMY-WITH-PLEURECTOMY

CPT 32445: Radical Pneumonectomy with Pleural Tumor Resection

CPT-32482-BILOBECTOMY-TWO-LOBE-LUNG-RESECTION

CPT 32482: Removal of Two Lung Lobes (Bilobectomy)

CPT-32484-SEGMENTAL-LUNG-RESECTION

CPT 32484: Segmental Lung Resection

CPT-32486-LUNG-RESECTION-WITH-BRONCHIAL-REPAIR

CPT 32486: Lung Resection with Bronchial Repair

CPT-32488-COMPLETION-PNEUMONECTOMY-REMAINING-LUNG-TISSUE

CPT 32488: Removal of Remaining Lung Tissue After Prior Lobectomy/Segmentectomy

CPT-32491-EMPHYSEMA-LUNG-TISSUE-RESECTION-STERNAL-TRANSTHORACIC

CPT 32491: Resection of Emphysematous Lung Tissue via Sternal or Transthoracic Approach

CPT-32501-BRONCHIAL-REPAIR-POST-LOBECTOMY-SEGMENTECTOMY

CPT 32501: Bronchial Repair After Lobectomy or Segmentectomy

CPT-32503-APICAL-LUNG-TUMOR-RESECTION-NO-CHEST-WALL-RECONSTRUCTION

CPT 32503: Apical Lung Tumor Resection Without Chest Wall Reconstruction

Showing 1–10 of 15

References

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.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.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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Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work, time, or complexity of the lobectomy substantially exceeds the usual.
`26`	Professional component	Use if only the surgeon's professional component is billed separately from technical/supply charges (rare for operative CPTs).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when a bilateral pulmonary lobectomy is performed (extremely uncommon).
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when additional distinct procedures are performed at the same operative session and modifier reporting is required.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the lobectomy is partially reduced or not completed as planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if the lobectomy was started but terminated for reasons unrelated to patient improvement.
`54`	Surgical care only	Use when only the operative portion is billed and pre/postoperative care is billed by another provider.
`55`	Postoperative management only	Use when another provider billed the surgery and this physician bills only the postoperative care.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when a co-surgeon performs distinct portions of the lobectomy requiring two surgeons.
`66`	Surgical team	Use when multiple surgeons from a team perform portions of the procedure under a documented team approach.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon provides assistance throughout the lobectomy.
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when a minimum assistant provides limited assistance.
`82`	Assistant not available	Use when a qualified assistant is not available and an unqualified assistant assists per policy.
`AS`	Ambulatory surgical center payment	Use when the procedure is performed in an ambulatory surgical center setting for payer reporting (rare for lobectomy).
`LT`	Left side	Use to identify laterality when reporting laterality-specific modifiers or payer requirements.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2086S	Thoracic Surgery	Primary specialty performing pulmonary lobectomy.
2080S	Cardiothoracic Surgery	Surgeons trained in thoracic and cardiac procedures performing lobectomies.
2084P0200X	General Surgery	General surgeons with thoracic experience in some settings.
207RH0000X	Anesthesiology	Provides general anesthesia and single-lung ventilation management.
207K00000X	Pulmonary Disease	Pulmonologists manage preoperative evaluation and postoperative care.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`31625`	Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, with bronchial or transbronchial biopsy	Performed preoperatively for tissue diagnosis or intraoperatively for localization.
`32405`	Thoracotomy, with diagnostic wedge resection of lung	May be performed when a limited diagnostic resection is done instead of lobectomy.
`32663`	Thoracoscopy, surgical; with lobectomy, total lung, single lobe (VATS lobectomy)	Alternative approach code set for VATS lobectomy procedures (used when VATS technique specified).
`32551`	Tube thoracostomy, includes water seal (e.g., chest tube)	Commonly placed during or after lobectomy for postoperative drainage.
`38900`	Insertion of central venous access device (e.g., pulmonary artery catheter)	May be used perioperatively for invasive monitoring or central access.

CPT 32440: Thoracotomy for Removal of Lung

CPT-32442-PNEUMONECTOMY-WITH-BRONCHOTRACHEAL-ANASTOMOSIS

CPT 32442: Pneumonectomy With Broncho–Tracheal Anastomosis

CPT-32445-RADICAL-PNEUMONECTOMY-WITH-PLEURECTOMY

CPT 32445: Radical Pneumonectomy with Pleural Tumor Resection

CPT-32482-BILOBECTOMY-TWO-LOBE-LUNG-RESECTION

CPT 32482: Removal of Two Lung Lobes (Bilobectomy)

CPT-32484-SEGMENTAL-LUNG-RESECTION

CPT 32484: Segmental Lung Resection

CPT-32486-LUNG-RESECTION-WITH-BRONCHIAL-REPAIR

CPT 32486: Lung Resection with Bronchial Repair

CPT-32488-COMPLETION-PNEUMONECTOMY-REMAINING-LUNG-TISSUE

CPT 32488: Removal of Remaining Lung Tissue After Prior Lobectomy/Segmentectomy

CPT-32491-EMPHYSEMA-LUNG-TISSUE-RESECTION-STERNAL-TRANSTHORACIC

CPT 32491: Resection of Emphysematous Lung Tissue via Sternal or Transthoracic Approach

CPT-32501-BRONCHIAL-REPAIR-POST-LOBECTOMY-SEGMENTECTOMY

CPT 32501: Bronchial Repair After Lobectomy or Segmentectomy

CPT-32503-APICAL-LUNG-TUMOR-RESECTION-NO-CHEST-WALL-RECONSTRUCTION

CPT 32503: Apical Lung Tumor Resection Without Chest Wall Reconstruction

Showing 1–10 of 15

References

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.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.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.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

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CPT 32480: Single-Lobe Lobectomy

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Billing Code Overview

OpenPayer

CPT 32480: Single-Lobe Lobectomy

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Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References