CPT code 61720: Brain electrode placement, long-term seizure monitoring2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Reports stereotactic placement of intracranial electrodes for prolonged seizure monitoring when the epilepsy team needs to localize seizure activity within the brain.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61720 in Missouri.
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 61720 covers
A neurosurgeon places electrodes within the brain through burr holes, using stereotactic guidance to position them for prolonged recording. The procedure is used in epilepsy surgery evaluations when noninvasive testing has not adequately localized seizure onset, allowing an epilepsy team to record brain activity during monitoring. It is typically performed in a hospital operating room, followed by monitoring in an epilepsy unit.
Report 61720 for electrode placement specifically for long-term seizure monitoring, not for electrodes placed for functional neurosurgery or tissue sampling. The operative report should support the stereotactic approach and monitoring purpose. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; 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 61720 pays more and less in Missouri
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Kansas City, MO | Unavailable | $1,230.06 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | Unavailable | $1,241.92 |
| Rest of Missouri | Unavailable | $1,194.92 |
How the 61720 rate is calculated
Each of 61720’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 · 61720
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work17.18
17.18 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense13.38
13.38 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice7.25
7.25 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
37.8100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,262.89
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61720
61720 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 61720
Brain electrode placement, long-term seizure monitoring
| 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) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| 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) | 0.11/0.76/0.13 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 61720
Brain electrode placement, long-term seizure monitoring
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
61720 without 51 · national facility
$1,262.89
Brain electrode placement, long-term seizure monitoring
61720-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$631.45
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%).
61720 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 61735Brain lesioningMovement disorder, unilateral
- Use 61720 for electrode placement to record seizures over time; 61735 describes placement for functional neurosurgery.
- 61750Brain biopsyWithout CT/MR guidance
- 61750 is for stereotactic intracranial tissue sampling or lesion removal, not placement of electrodes for seizure monitoring.
- 61751Brain biopsyCT/MR-guided stereotactic
- 61751 describes stereotactic brain biopsy with imaging guidance; 61720 is electrode implantation for prolonged seizure recording.
61720 billing questions
How is 61720 distinguished from 61735?
61720 is for intracranial electrode placement for long-term seizure monitoring. Use 61735 when the electrodes are placed for functional neurosurgery.
Are the burr holes included?
Yes. The electrode-placement service includes the burr hole access described for this procedure; do not separately report that access as a distinct service.
Can modifier 50 be used when electrodes are placed on both sides?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Report the procedure based on the service performed, not as a bilateral procedure.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 61720. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What documentation supports reporting 61720?
The operative report should show stereotactic intracranial electrode placement and identify prolonged seizure monitoring as the purpose. Placement for functional neurosurgery or biopsy represents a different 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.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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