Find policies, billing codes, payers, states, and providers

CPT 32551: Chest Tube Placement, Open Cutdown Incision

CPT code 32551 reports an open cutdown incision to place a plastic chest tube for evacuation of air and/or fluid from the pleural space. This surgical thoracic procedure is commonly performed emergently for pneumothorax, for drainage of pleural effusions, and postoperatively for chest drainage, making it a nationally relevant code for inpatient and emergency care settings. Payers of interest in national analyses include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find clinical context for when CPT code 32551 is used, the typical sites of service where it is performed, and what operational benchmarks and policy considerations are commonly associated with chest tube placement procedures. The publication provides benchmarks (where available), coding and billing context, reimbursement and coverage considerations across major payers, and notes on documentation and procedure reporting practices. Data not available in the input is noted where necessary. The content is intended for payers, hospital coding teams, and clinical leadership seeking a concise, national-level reference for CPT code 32551.

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 32551 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 32551 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 32551 describes an open cutdown incision procedure to insert a plastic tube (chest tube) into the chest cavity for removal of fluid and/or air. The service type is a surgical thoracic procedure for pleural drainage. The typical site of service is the hospital operating room, hospital inpatient bedside, or emergency department where chest tube placement is required for management of pneumothorax, pleural effusion, or postoperative chest drainage.

Data not available in the input.

Explore openpayer tools

View all tools

Find policies, billing codes, payers, states, and providers

CPT 32551: Chest Tube Placement, Open Cutdown Incision

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 32551 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 32551 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Billing Code Overview

Data not available in the input.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is an adult presenting to the emergency department or inpatient unit with acute respiratory distress, pleuritic chest pain, hypoxia, or hemodynamic instability. Imaging (chest X-ray or CT) demonstrates a large pleural effusion or pneumothorax requiring drainage. After informed consent, the patient is positioned and local anesthesia administered. The provider creates an open cutdown incision to expose the chest wall and bluntly dissects to the pleural space. A plastic thoracostomy tube (chest tube) is inserted through the cutdown, secured with sutures, and connected to a drainage system. The procedure is coded as 32551. Typical workflow includes pre-procedure imaging and labs, sterile setup, procedure documentation (indication, technique, size and laterality of tube, type of drainage system), post-procedure chest imaging to confirm placement, monitoring for complications (bleeding, infection, tube malposition), and chest tube management orders (suction level, drainage monitoring) until removal or conversion to a more definitive procedure.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the procedure required substantially greater work than typical due to severe adhesions, difficult anatomy, or extensive hemorrhage.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is required unexpectedly for a procedure normally performed with local anesthesia.
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the professional component of a diagnostic service associated with the procedure (rare for `32551`).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when bilateral separate cutdown chest tube insertions are performed and payer accepts a bilateral modifier.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when procedure is partially reduced or not completed as planned (e.g., aborted due to patient instability).
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is terminated before completion for reasons related to patient well-being.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons of different specialties work together as primary surgeons.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Use when the same physician repeats the procedure subsequent to the initial service within the global period.
`77`	Repeat procedure by another physician	Use when a different physician repeats the procedure within the global period.
`78`	Unplanned return to the operating/procedure room for a related procedure during the global period	Use when the patient returns for a related chest tube procedure postoperatively due to complications.
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service by same physician during the postoperative period	Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use to indicate a separate and distinct procedure or service on the same day (e.g., separate anatomic site).
`25`	Significant, separately identifiable E/M service by the same physician on the same day as the procedure	Use when a significant evaluation and management service is performed on the same day as `32551` and must be reported separately.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`208000000X`	Thoracic Surgery	Common specialty performing open chest tube placement for traumatic or complex pleural disease.
`207P00000X`	Surgeon - Cardiothoracic	Common provider for chest tube placement in perioperative or intensive cardiothoracic settings.
`207L00000X`	Surgery - General	Common in emergency or general surgery settings for emergent tube thoracostomy.
`2086S0122X`	Pulmonology	Performs chest tube placement in some hospitals for pleural effusion management.
`207R00000X`	Emergency Medicine	Performs emergent chest tube placements in the emergency department for pneumothorax or hemothorax.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`J90`	Pleural effusion, not elsewhere classified	Pleural effusions requiring drainage are a primary indication for chest tube placement.
`J93.9`	Pneumothorax, unspecified	Pneumothorax requiring decompression via chest tube is a core indication for `32551`.
`S27.2XXA`	Traumatic pneumothorax, initial encounter	Traumatic pneumothorax or hemothorax from chest trauma often necessitates open chest tube insertion.
`S27.1XXA`	Traumatic hemothorax, initial encounter	Hemothorax with significant blood in pleural space requires chest tube drainage.
`J94.2`	Pyothorax (empyema)	Empyema frequently requires chest tube drainage via cutdown for evacuation and irrigation.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`32550`	Tube thoracostomy, includes connection to drainage system (except for open cutdown)	May be reported when chest tube is placed percutaneously rather than by open cutdown; distinguishes technique from `32551`.
`32554`	Thoracostomy, with insertion of indwelling tunneled pleural catheter, with imaging and drainage (complex pleural catheter procedures)	Performed in management of recurrent malignant effusions when tunneled catheter is chosen instead of a standard chest tube.
`31600`	Intubation, endotracheal, emergency procedure	May precede `32551` when the patient requires airway control before chest tube placement due to respiratory failure.
`71045`	Chest radiograph, single view, portable	Common immediate post-procedure imaging to confirm chest tube position and lung re-expansion.
`71260`	CT chest without contrast	May be used pre- or post-procedure to define complex pathology or tube position.

CPT 32550: Tunneled Chest Tube Placement via Thoracostomy

CPT-32552-PLEURAL-CATHETER-REMOVAL-SUBCUTANEOUS-TUNNELED

CPT 32552: Removal of Subcutaneously Tunneled Pleural Catheter

CPT-32553-PERCUTANEOUS-CHEST-TUMOR-MARKER-PLACEMENT

CPT 32553: Percutaneous Chest Tumor Marker Placement

CPT-32554-PLEURAL-DRAINAGE-NEEDLE-OR-CATHETER

CPT 32554: Pleural Drainage with Needle or Catheter

CPT-32555-IMAGE-GUIDED-PLEURAL-DRAINAGE-THORACENTESIS

CPT 32555: Image-Guided Pleural Drainage (Needle or Catheter)

CPT-32556-CHEST-TUBE-PLACEMENT-PERCUTANEOUS-DRAINAGE-NO-IMAGING

CPT 32556: Percutaneous Chest Tube Placement for Pleural Drainage

CPT-32557-IMAGE-GUIDED-CHEST-TUBE-DRAINAGE

CPT 32557: Image-Guided Percutaneous Chest Tube Drainage

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.

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.

Explore openpayer tools

View all tools

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the procedure required substantially greater work than typical due to severe adhesions, difficult anatomy, or extensive hemorrhage.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is required unexpectedly for a procedure normally performed with local anesthesia.
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the professional component of a diagnostic service associated with the procedure (rare for `32551`).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when bilateral separate cutdown chest tube insertions are performed and payer accepts a bilateral modifier.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when procedure is partially reduced or not completed as planned (e.g., aborted due to patient instability).
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is terminated before completion for reasons related to patient well-being.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons of different specialties work together as primary surgeons.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Use when the same physician repeats the procedure subsequent to the initial service within the global period.
`77`	Repeat procedure by another physician	Use when a different physician repeats the procedure within the global period.
`78`	Unplanned return to the operating/procedure room for a related procedure during the global period	Use when the patient returns for a related chest tube procedure postoperatively due to complications.
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service by same physician during the postoperative period	Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use to indicate a separate and distinct procedure or service on the same day (e.g., separate anatomic site).
`25`	Significant, separately identifiable E/M service by the same physician on the same day as the procedure	Use when a significant evaluation and management service is performed on the same day as `32551` and must be reported separately.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`208000000X`	Thoracic Surgery	Common specialty performing open chest tube placement for traumatic or complex pleural disease.
`207P00000X`	Surgeon - Cardiothoracic	Common provider for chest tube placement in perioperative or intensive cardiothoracic settings.
`207L00000X`	Surgery - General	Common in emergency or general surgery settings for emergent tube thoracostomy.
`2086S0122X`	Pulmonology	Performs chest tube placement in some hospitals for pleural effusion management.
`207R00000X`	Emergency Medicine	Performs emergent chest tube placements in the emergency department for pneumothorax or hemothorax.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`J90`	Pleural effusion, not elsewhere classified	Pleural effusions requiring drainage are a primary indication for chest tube placement.
`J93.9`	Pneumothorax, unspecified	Pneumothorax requiring decompression via chest tube is a core indication for `32551`.
`S27.2XXA`	Traumatic pneumothorax, initial encounter	Traumatic pneumothorax or hemothorax from chest trauma often necessitates open chest tube insertion.
`S27.1XXA`	Traumatic hemothorax, initial encounter	Hemothorax with significant blood in pleural space requires chest tube drainage.
`J94.2`	Pyothorax (empyema)	Empyema frequently requires chest tube drainage via cutdown for evacuation and irrigation.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`32550`	Tube thoracostomy, includes connection to drainage system (except for open cutdown)	May be reported when chest tube is placed percutaneously rather than by open cutdown; distinguishes technique from `32551`.
`32554`	Thoracostomy, with insertion of indwelling tunneled pleural catheter, with imaging and drainage (complex pleural catheter procedures)	Performed in management of recurrent malignant effusions when tunneled catheter is chosen instead of a standard chest tube.
`31600`	Intubation, endotracheal, emergency procedure	May precede `32551` when the patient requires airway control before chest tube placement due to respiratory failure.
`71045`	Chest radiograph, single view, portable	Common immediate post-procedure imaging to confirm chest tube position and lung re-expansion.
`71260`	CT chest without contrast	May be used pre- or post-procedure to define complex pathology or tube position.

CPT 32550: Tunneled Chest Tube Placement via Thoracostomy

CPT-32552-PLEURAL-CATHETER-REMOVAL-SUBCUTANEOUS-TUNNELED

CPT 32552: Removal of Subcutaneously Tunneled Pleural Catheter

CPT-32553-PERCUTANEOUS-CHEST-TUMOR-MARKER-PLACEMENT

CPT 32553: Percutaneous Chest Tumor Marker Placement

CPT-32554-PLEURAL-DRAINAGE-NEEDLE-OR-CATHETER

CPT 32554: Pleural Drainage with Needle or Catheter

CPT-32555-IMAGE-GUIDED-PLEURAL-DRAINAGE-THORACENTESIS

CPT 32555: Image-Guided Pleural Drainage (Needle or Catheter)

CPT-32556-CHEST-TUBE-PLACEMENT-PERCUTANEOUS-DRAINAGE-NO-IMAGING

CPT 32556: Percutaneous Chest Tube Placement for Pleural Drainage

CPT-32557-IMAGE-GUIDED-CHEST-TUBE-DRAINAGE

CPT 32557: Image-Guided Percutaneous Chest Tube Drainage

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.

OpenPayer

CPT 32551: Chest Tube Placement, Open Cutdown Incision

Sign up for cpt 32551 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

OpenPayer

CPT 32551: Chest Tube Placement, Open Cutdown Incision

Sign up for cpt 32551 policy alerts

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