CPT 32484 Segmental Lung Resection Reimbursement | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 32484: Segmental Lung Resection

CPT code 32484 denotes a segmental lung resection, a surgical procedure removing a portion of lung tissue smaller than an entire lobe. This code is nationally relevant because segmental resections are key options for treating localized pulmonary disease, including early-stage malignancy and select benign conditions, offering a balance between oncologic control and preservation of lung function. Payers have distinct coverage policies and prior authorization requirements for thoracic surgical procedures, making consistent coding important for clinical and administrative teams.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context for segmental lung resection, typical sites of service, common billing modifiers associated with surgical services, and how payers commonly approach authorization and reimbursement for thoracic resections. Coverage comparisons outline where policy language and documentation requirements diverge across national payers.

The publication provides benchmarks for utilization and payment trends where available, summarizes relevant policy updates affecting inpatient and outpatient settings, and highlights documentation elements frequently required by payers to support medical necessity. Data limitations are noted where input information is unavailable. The content is designed for billing managers, surgical practices, and health plan policy teams engaged in thoracic surgical care coding and reimbursement.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicare32484CPTthoracic surgerylung segmentectomysurgical codingoperating roomambulatory surgical centerresection

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 32484 describes a surgical procedure in which the provider removes a segment of the lung smaller than a lobe, commonly referred to as a segmental lung resection. Service type: Surgical resection of a lung segment. Typical site of service: Inpatient or outpatient hospital operating room, or ambulatory surgical center depending on clinical factors and patient stability.

Data not available in the input.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is a 62-year-old current or former smoker presenting with a peripheral pulmonary nodule discovered on chest imaging. After multidisciplinary review (thoracic surgery, pulmonology, and thoracic anesthesia), the patient is scheduled for a limited lung resection aimed at diagnosis and treatment: a wedge resection or segmentectomy. The procedure 32484 (removal of a lung segment smaller than a lobe) is performed in an operating room or procedure suite under general endotracheal anesthesia with single-lung ventilation. Intraoperative workflow includes preoperative evaluation and consent, placement of thoracostomy tube(s) as indicated, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) or open thoracotomy exposure, resection of the targeted segment with margin assessment (often with frozen section), hemostasis, chest tube insertion, and postoperative transfer to PACU or ICU for monitoring. Typical indications include suspicious or early-stage primary lung cancer, metastatic pulmonary lesions, or localized benign lesions not amenable to wedge resection alone. Postoperative documentation includes operative note with laterality, size and location of the segment removed, estimated blood loss, specimens sent to pathology, and any intraoperative complications.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when only the professional component of a bundled service is reported (rare for operative services; applicable to physician interpretation elements when separated).

CPT 32482: Removal of Two Lung Lobes (Bilobectomy)

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

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

CPT-32442-PNEUMONECTOMY-WITH-BRONCHOTRACHEAL-ANASTOMOSIS

CPT 32442: Pneumonectomy With Broncho–Tracheal Anastomosis

CPT-32480-SINGLE-LOBE-LOBECTOMY

CPT 32480: Single-Lobe Lobectomy

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

CPT 32503: Apical Lung Tumor Resection Without Chest Wall Reconstruction

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

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

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

CPT 32501: Bronchial Repair After Lobectomy or Segmentectomy

CPT-32540-EMPYEMA-EXCISION-PLEURAL-LINING

CPT 32540: Excision of Empyema with Pleural Lining

CPT-32506-ADD-ON-OPEN-WEDGE-RESECTION-LUNG

CPT 32506: Add-on Open Wedge Resection, Additional Lung Excision

CPT-32445-RADICAL-PNEUMONECTOMY-WITH-PLEURECTOMY

CPT 32445: Radical Pneumonectomy with Pleural Tumor Resection

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Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`2084P0800X`	Thoracic Surgery	Primary specialty performing lung segmentectomy; performs operative planning and surgical resection.
`207L00000X`	Pulmonary Disease	Often involved in preoperative evaluation, bronchoscopy, and longitudinal pulmonary care.
`208600000X`	General Surgery	May perform thoracic resections in some practice settings or collaborate on care.
`363L00000X`	Critical Care Medicine	Manages perioperative intensive care needs for high-risk thoracic surgery patients.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`C34.90`	Malignant neoplasm of unspecified part of unspecified bronchus or lung	Primary lung cancer presenting as a peripheral lesion often treated with segmentectomy for early-stage disease.
`C78.01`	Secondary malignant neoplasm of right lung	Pulmonary metastasis from extrapulmonary primary; limited resection may be performed for isolated metastases.
`J98.4`	Other disorders of lung, not elsewhere classified	Includes localized benign nodules or other focal lung pathology that may prompt segmental resection.
`D15.1`	Benign neoplasm of bronchus and lung	Benign tumors that are symptomatic or have uncertain behavior and require resection.
`I26.99`	Other pulmonary embolism without acute cor pulmonale	Included when thromboembolic disease is in the differential; less commonly a direct indication for resection but may be a comorbidity affecting perioperative management.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`32663`	Thoracoscopy, surgical; with diagnostic wedge resection (less than one lobe)	Performed via VATS approach for diagnostic/therapeutic wedge resection; may be an alternative technique for small peripheral lesions.
`32666`	Thoracoscopy, surgical; with lobectomy, with or without removal of superior segment	Represents a larger anatomic resection (lobectomy) when disease extent requires removal of an entire lobe instead of a segment.
`32505`	Thoracotomy, with exploration, pleural space; with decortication, or pleurectomy	May be performed in the same operative setting when pleural disease or empyema is encountered.
`32551`	Tube thoracostomy, includes water-seal (e.g., chest tube), when performed for postoperative drainage	Commonly performed at the end of `32484` to manage postoperative pleural drainage and re-expansion.
`88305`	Level IV surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination	Used for pathology evaluation of the resected lung segment to establish diagnosis and staging; billed by pathology services.

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