CPT 32482 Bilobectomy Reimbursement & Policy | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 32482: Removal of Two Lung Lobes (Bilobectomy)

CPT code 32482 represents bilateral removal of two lobes of a lung (bilobectomy), a major thoracic surgical procedure used to treat conditions such as localized malignancy, severe localized infection, or damaged lung tissue. Nationally, this code captures high-acuity inpatient surgical care with significant implications for perioperative planning, resource use, and reimbursement pathways. Major payers commonly covering services under this code include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.

Readers will learn what the code denotes clinically, the typical sites of service, and which national payers are relevant to coverage and claims processing. The publication outlines expected benchmarks for utilization and payment practices, highlights recent policy or billing guidance relevant to thoracic resections, and provides clinical context for coding decisions tied to lobar lung resections. The content is aimed at billing managers, surgical service line leaders, and health policy analysts seeking a concise reference on procedural classification, payer coverage landscape, and operational considerations for CPT code 32482.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicareCPT 32482thoracic surgerylobectomybilobectomyhospital inpatientsurgical codingprocedure codingperioperative care

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 32482 describes a surgical procedure in which the provider removes two lobes of a lung. This procedure is a form of lobectomy involving resection of two pulmonary lobes and is typically performed by a thoracic surgeon.

Service type: Surgical resection of lung tissue (bilobectomy)
Typical site of service: Hospital inpatient or specialized surgical center where thoracic surgery and postoperative inpatient care are provided.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is a 62-year-old smoker with a peripheral non-small cell lung carcinoma localized to the right upper and middle lobes, presenting with hemoptysis and progressive shortness of breath. Imaging with chest CT and PET demonstrates a tumor confined to two contiguous lobes without distant metastasis, and pulmonary function testing (FEV1, DLCO) indicates sufficient reserve for lobar resection. The multidisciplinary team (thoracic surgery, pulmonology, anesthesia, oncology) reviews staging and perioperative risk. The patient undergoes preoperative optimization, consent for 32482 (removal of two lobes of a lung), and general anesthesia with single-lung ventilation. In the operating room the thoracic surgeon performs an open or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) bilobectomy, ligating pulmonary vasculature and bronchus and completing systematic mediastinal lymph node sampling. Postoperatively the patient is extubated to supplemental oxygen, monitored in a surgical unit or ICU for chest tube management, pain control, pulmonary toilet, and early ambulation. Pathology confirms tumor margins and nodal status to guide adjuvant therapy decisions.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work, time, and complexity substantially exceed typical for `32482` and documentation supports additional payment.

CPT 32445: Radical Pneumonectomy with Pleural Tumor Resection

CPT-32507-THORACIC-WEDGE-RESECTION-WITH-LUNG-RESECTION-ADD-ON

CPT 32507: Thoracic Wedge Resection With Lung Resection, Add-On

CPT-32442-PNEUMONECTOMY-WITH-BRONCHOTRACHEAL-ANASTOMOSIS

CPT 32442: Pneumonectomy With Broncho–Tracheal Anastomosis

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

CPT 32501: Bronchial Repair After Lobectomy or Segmentectomy

CPT-32480-SINGLE-LOBE-LOBECTOMY

CPT 32480: Single-Lobe Lobectomy

CPT-32505-OPEN-WEDGE-RESECTION-LUNG-THORACOTOMY

CPT 32505: Open Wedge Resection of Lung (Initial Resection)

CPT-32484-SEGMENTAL-LUNG-RESECTION

CPT 32484: Segmental Lung Resection

CPT-32504-APICAL-LUNG-TUMOR-RESECTION-CHEST-WALL-RECONSTRUCTION

CPT 32504: Apical Lung Tumor Resection with Chest Wall Reconstruction

CPT-32440-THORACOTOMY-PNEUMONECTOMY-ENTIRE-LUNG-REMOVAL

CPT 32440: Thoracotomy for Removal of Lung

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

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

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Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208U00000X	Thoracic Surgery	Primary specialty performing lobectomy and bilobectomy procedures.
208000000X	General Surgery	General surgeons with thoracic training perform pulmonary resections in some centers.
207R00000X	Pulmonary Disease	Involved in preoperative evaluation, bronchoscopy, and medical management.
207L00000X	Critical Care Medicine	Provides perioperative ICU care for complex or high-risk postoperative patients.
207K00000X	Anesthesiology	Provides general and thoracic anesthesia including single-lung ventilation.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`C34.11`	Malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, right bronchus or lung	Common indication when tumor is localized to the right upper lobe and may require resection of two lobes if adjacent involvement exists.
`C34.12`	Malignant neoplasm of middle lobe, right bronchus or lung	Tumor in the right middle lobe that, with adjacent upper or lower lobe disease, may lead to bilobectomy.
`C34.31`	Malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, left bronchus or lung	Left-sided upper lobe tumors that may necessitate removal of two lobes when contiguous disease is present.
`J98.4`	Other disorders of lung, not elsewhere classified	Includes complex benign conditions (e.g., bronchiectasis, destroyed lung) that can necessitate resection of multiple lobes.
`J44.9`	Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, unspecified	COPD is a common comorbidity affecting operative risk, preoperative evaluation, and candidacy for `32482`.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`32480`	Thoracotomy, wedge resection of lung	May be performed for diagnostic or limited therapeutic resection when smaller lesion or biopsy is indicated prior to or instead of `32482`.
`32482`	Removal of two lobes of a lung (bilobectomy)	Primary procedure for resection of disease involving two contiguous lobes.
`32601`	Thoracoscopy, surgical; with lobectomy, with or without mediastinal lymph node sampling	VATS approach codes for lobectomy procedures; used when minimally invasive technique is performed for lobar resections and may be used if documentation supports thoracoscopic bilobectomy.
`38900`	Intraoperative lymph node sampling (biopsy), single node	Used for mediastinal or hilar node sampling performed during `32482` for staging.
`32551`	Tube thoracostomy, insertion of chest tube, open or percutaneous	Commonly performed intraoperatively or postoperatively with `32482` for pleural drainage.
`99024`	Postoperative follow-up visit, routine surgical postoperative care	Used for global period postoperative care visits associated with `32482` per payer rules.

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