CPT code 43648: Electrode revision, gastric neurostimulator2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Massachusetts
Laparoscopic revision or removal of gastric neurostimulation electrodes in the stomach’s antrum for a patient with an implanted gastric stimulator.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 43648 in Massachusetts.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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What 43648 covers
During laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon revises or removes implanted gastric neurostimulation electrodes positioned at the stomach’s antrum. These electrodes deliver stimulation to the stomach as part of a gastric electrical stimulation system used in selected patients with gastroparesis. A surgeon performing the abdominal procedure typically reports this service in an operating room; the work concerns the electrodes, not automatically the implanted pulse generator.
Medicare lists this CPT service as carrier priced (status C): CMS publishes no national physician fee schedule payment, and the Medicare Administrative Contractor sets payment for each claim. The contractor also sets the global period. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the stated standard multiple-procedure rule applies: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Report the electrode work documented in the operative record; separate generator work is represented by its own applicable code.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.
Where 43648 pays more and less in Massachusetts
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Boston, MA | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Rest of Massachusetts | Unavailable | Unavailable |
How the 43648 rate is calculated
Each of 43648’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 43648
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.0000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$0.00
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 43648
The CMS indicators that decide how 43648 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 43648
Electrode revision, gastric neurostimulator
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | YYY | The Medicare contractor sets the global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
43648 without 51 · national facility
$0.00
Electrode revision, gastric neurostimulator
43648-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$0.00
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
43648 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 43647Gastric stimulator leadsLaparoscopic approach
- Use 43647 for laparoscopic implantation of gastric neurostimulator electrodes; use 43648 for their revision or removal.
- 64595Generator revisionSacral or gastric system
- Code 64595 concerns revision or removal of the pulse generator or receiver. Code 43648 concerns the gastric electrodes.
- 43659Laparoscopic stomach procedureUnlisted procedure
- Code 43659 is the unlisted laparoscopic stomach procedure code. Use a specific code such as 43648 when the documented electrode work matches it.
43648 billing questions
How does this differ from 43647?
Code 43648 describes laparoscopic revision or removal of gastric neurostimulator electrodes. Code 43647 describes electrode implantation.
Does 43648 include work on the pulse generator?
It addresses the electrodes in the stomach’s antrum. Generator revision or removal is a separate component addressed by 64595 when that work is performed.
What should the operative report document?
Document the laparoscopic approach and the specific revision or removal performed on the antral electrodes. Identify any separate work on the pulse generator.
How does Medicare price this code?
Status C means CMS publishes no national physician fee schedule payment; the Medicare Administrative Contractor sets payment for each claim.
Who sets the global period?
The Medicare contractor sets the global period for this service.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
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