CPT 60240 Total Thyroidectomy Reimbursement | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 60240: Total Thyroidectomy

CPT code 60240 designates a total thyroidectomy — the surgical removal of the entire thyroid gland — a definitive procedure used for benign and malignant thyroid disease. Nationally, total thyroidectomy is clinically significant because it addresses both symptomatic benign conditions (for example, large multinodular goiter causing compressive symptoms) and thyroid malignancies, with implications for surgical capacity, perioperative care, and long-term endocrine follow-up. Key payers addressed in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the code’s clinical context, common settings where the procedure is performed, comparable and related CPT codes, and payer coverage considerations. The publication summarizes benchmarks and reimbursement context where available, highlights pertinent policy updates affecting hospital and ambulatory surgical settings, and outlines typical diagnostic indications linked to the procedure. The content is intended for revenue cycle professionals, clinical coders, and policy analysts seeking a clear, national-level reference on CPT code 60240 and its role in thyroid disease management.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicareCPT 60240total thyroidectomyendocrine surgerysurgical codingthyroidectomyoperative procedurehospital surgeryambulatory surgerybilling guidance

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 60240 describes the surgical removal of the entire thyroid gland (total thyroidectomy). This procedure is a major endocrine surgery performed to treat conditions affecting the thyroid gland, including benign multinodular disease and malignant tumors.

Service Type: Surgical — Total thyroidectomy

Typical Site of Service: Hospital inpatient or outpatient surgical center, depending on clinical indication and perioperative requirements.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 52-year-old female presents with a progressively enlarging, multinodular goiter causing compressive symptoms (dysphagia and mild dyspnea) and biochemical hyperthyroidism poorly controlled with medical therapy. Imaging (neck ultrasound and CT) shows bilateral extensive nodularity; fine-needle aspiration demonstrates suspicious cytology in one nodule. After multidisciplinary discussion with an endocrinologist and surgical oncology team, the patient is scheduled for a planned total thyroidectomy (60240) in an inpatient or ambulatory surgical center setting under general anesthesia. The clinical workflow includes preoperative evaluation (endocrine assessment, vocal cord exam, laboratory testing including TSH and calcium), anesthesia clearance, operative consent, the surgical procedure (complete removal of the thyroid gland with careful identification and preservation of parathyroid glands and recurrent laryngeal nerves), immediate postoperative monitoring for bleeding and airway compromise, calcium monitoring for hypocalcemia, and coordination of pathology for permanent histology. Typical sites of service are hospital operating room or accredited ambulatory surgery center. Payors commonly involved include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, BUCA, and Medicare.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work required is substantially greater than typically required (extensive dissection, revision surgery).

CPT 60280: Excision of Thyroglossal Duct Cyst

CPT-60100-THYROID-CORE-NEEDLE-BIOPSY-IMAGE-GUIDED

CPT 60100: Image-Guided Thyroid Core Needle Biopsy

CPT-60212-PARTIAL-THYROIDECTOMY-ISTHMUSECTOMY

CPT 60212: Partial Thyroidectomy with Isthmusectomy

CPT-60220-THYROID-LOBECTOMY-UNILATERAL

CPT 60220: Unilateral Thyroid Lobectomy

CPT-60270-TOTAL-THYROIDECTOMY-WITH-MEDIASTINAL-EXTENSION

CPT 60270: Total Thyroidectomy with Mediastinal Extension

CPT-60225-NEAR-TOTAL-THYROIDECTOMY

CPT 60225: Near-Total Thyroidectomy

CPT-60200-THYROID-NODULE-EXCISION-OR-ISTHMUSECTOMY

CPT 60200: Removal of Thyroid Cyst or Incision of Thyroid Isthmus

CPT-60281-SISTRUNK-PROCEDURE-THYROGLOSSAL-DUCT-CYST-EXCISION

CPT 60281: Sistrunk Procedure for Thyroglossal Duct Cyst Excision

CPT-60210-THYROID-PARTIAL-LOBECTOMY-ISTHMUS-OPTIONAL

CPT 60210: Partial Thyroid Lobectomy, Isthmus Optional

CPT-60254-TOTAL-OR-NEAR-TOTAL-THYROIDECTOMY-WITH-NECK-DISSECTION

CPT 60254: Total or Near-Total Thyroidectomy with Neck Dissection

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Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207RE0101X`	Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Physician	Endocrinologists manage preoperative endocrine optimization and long-term thyroid replacement.
`207XS0117X`	Surgical Oncology Physician	Surgical oncologists perform thyroidectomy for suspected or confirmed malignancy and complex resections.
`207YS0123X`	Surgery Physician	General surgeons or otolaryngology-head & neck surgeons performing thyroid operations; frequently primary proceduralists.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`E04.2`	Nontoxic multinodular goiter	Common benign indication for total thyroidectomy when goiter is large, symptomatic, or has suspicious nodules.
`E05.00`	Thyrotoxicosis with diffuse goiter without thyrotoxic crisis or storm	Hyperthyroidism refractory to medical therapy or causing significant symptoms may prompt definitive surgical management with total thyroidectomy.
`E06.3`	Autoimmune thyroiditis	Chronic autoimmune disease that may lead to goiter or nodularity necessitating surgical removal in select cases.
`C73`	Malignant neoplasm of thyroid gland	Primary malignant indication for total thyroidectomy for oncologic resection and staging.
`E07.9`	Disorder of thyroid, unspecified	Temporary or placeholder diagnosis when specific thyroid disorder is not yet defined prior to definitive pathology; used in preoperative documentation in some settings.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`60260`	Thyroidectomy, removal of remaining tissue following previous removal of part of thyroid	Performed when prior lobectomy requires completion thyroidectomy at a later date; surgical alternative to `60240` in staged care.
`60220`	Total thyroid lobectomy, unilateral	Represents unilateral total lobectomy; may be performed instead of total thyroidectomy when disease is confined to one lobe.
`60225`	Total thyroid lobectomy, unilateral	Alternate code for unilateral lobectomy; used for billing variations depending on documentation and payer policies.
`60252`	Thyroidectomy, total or subtotal for malignancy	Used for thyroidectomy specifically coded for malignancy; relates to `60240` when malignancy is the indication and payer requires malignant-specific code.

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