CPT code 55875: Prostate brachytherapy, needle or catheter placement2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Maryland
Reports transperineal placement of needles or catheters in the prostate to support interstitial radiation treatment, commonly for localized prostate cancer.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 55875 in Maryland.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
Your location
On this page 9 sections
What 55875 covers
A urologist places needles or catheters through the perineum into the prostate so radioactive material can be used for interstitial treatment. A common setting is an operating room or outpatient surgical facility for prostate brachytherapy. The urologist may perform the placement with a radiation oncologist involved in the treatment plan; the code allows placement with or without cystoscopy. This is the placement service, not the radiation source application itself.
Select the code when the operative record supports transperineal prostate needle or catheter placement for interstitial radioelement treatment. Document the treatment purpose and the placement performed; do not substitute prostate marker placement or biodegradable spacer placement. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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 55875 pays more and less in Maryland
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore area, MD | Unavailable | $720.73 |
| Rest of Maryland | Unavailable | $690.64 |
| Washington, DC area | Unavailable | $752.72 |
How the 55875 rate is calculated
Each of 55875’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 · 55875
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work13.12
13.12 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.05
6.05 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.42
1.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
20.5900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$687.72
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 55875
55875 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 55875
Prostate brachytherapy, needle or catheter placement
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| 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) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.80/0.10 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 55875
Prostate brachytherapy, needle or catheter placement
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
55875 without 51 · national facility
$687.72
Prostate brachytherapy, needle or catheter placement
55875-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$343.86
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%).
55875 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 55874Prostate spacerBiodegradable material
- Use 55875 for needles or catheters placed for interstitial radioactive treatment. Code 55874 concerns transperineal placement of biodegradable material, such as a prostate spacer.
- 55876Prostate markersRadiation guidance devices
- Use 55876 for prostate radiotherapy marker or device placement. Use 55875 when needles or catheters are placed to support interstitial radioelement treatment.
- 55873Prostate cryoablationUltrasound-guided freeze treatment
- Code 55873 describes prostate cryoablation, not placement for interstitial radiation treatment.
- 55866ProstatectomyLaparoscopic, radical
- Code 55866 describes laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. It represents surgical removal of the prostate rather than brachytherapy access placement.
55875 billing questions
When should I report 55875 rather than 55876?
Report 55875 for transperineal needle or catheter placement to support interstitial radioactive treatment. Code 55876 describes prostate placement of radiotherapy markers or a device, not brachytherapy needle placement.
Is radioactive source application included in 55875?
55875 represents the prostate needle or catheter placement. Radiation source application, such as the service represented by 77778 when applicable, is a separate treatment service.
Can modifier 50 be used for placement on both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; do not use modifier 50 to report bilateral placement.
What global period applies?
This is major surgery with a 90-day global period. The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
How is 55875 affected when other procedures occur in the same session?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires medical-necessity documentation, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
Fee sheets · Coming soon
Put 55875 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
Join the waitlist