CPT code 69501: Mastoidectomy, complete, without tympanoplasty2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 69501 in California.

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 69501 covers

An otolaryngologist or otologist performs this operation in the operating room, opening the mastoid and removing its air cells and diseased tissue. It is used for conditions such as mastoiditis or cholesteatoma involving the mastoid. The operation is a complete mastoidectomy without tympanoplasty; the operative report should make the extent of mastoid work and any separate middle-ear reconstruction clear. Medicare facility claims are typical for this service.

Select the code based on the operation documented, not just the diagnosis: a complete mastoidectomy without tympanoplasty is distinct from procedures that add tympanoplasty or involve a modified radical or radical approach. The record should describe the mastoid work, disease treated, and whether tympanoplasty was performed. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of 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 50% multiple-procedure reduction. For bilateral surgery reported with modifier 50, payment is 150%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; 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 69501 pays more and less in California

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

29 of 29 payment localities

How the 69501 rate is calculated

Each of 69501’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 69501

69501 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

69501 compared with similar codes

How to choose

69502MastoidectomyComplete mastoid dissection

Use 69501 for a complete mastoidectomy without tympanoplasty. 69502 represents the complete mastoidectomy performed with tympanoplasty.

69505MastoidectomyRadical procedure

69505 represents a modified radical mastoidectomy. Choose based on the operative approach and extent documented, rather than the diagnosis alone.

69511Mastoid surgeryRadical, without tympanoplasty

69511 represents a radical mastoidectomy, not the complete mastoidectomy described by 69501. The operative report should support the more extensive approach.

Codes related to 69501

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates