Billing code 60540: Adrenal surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $1,011.05 for 60540 nationally in a facility.

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

What 60540 covers

Code 60540 describes open operative exposure of an adrenal gland for assessment, with or without biopsy, or partial or complete removal. Surgeons may perform it for an adrenal mass or a hormonally active adrenal condition. It is typically performed in a hospital operating room by an endocrine or general surgeon, or another surgeon managing the adrenal disorder. The operative approach and extent of removal distinguish this service from laparoscopic adrenal surgery and more extensive adrenal resection.

Select the code from the operative report: document the side, open approach, whether the gland was explored or removed, and the extent of removal. If adjacent tissue is excised as part of a more extensive operation, compare the report with 60545. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. In a same-session multiple-procedure claim, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 60540 pays more and less

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

109 of 109 payment localities

60540 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

How the 60540 rate is calculated

Each of 60540’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 60540

60540 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

60540 compared with similar codes

How to choose

60545Adrenalectomy

60540 covers open exploration or partial or complete adrenal removal; 60545 is for the more extensive operation that also excises adjacent tissue.

60650Adrenalectomy

60650 describes laparoscopic adrenal exploration or removal. Use 60540 for the open approach.

60500Parathyroid surgery

60500 concerns exploration of the parathyroid glands, not an adrenal operation. Select by the gland treated, not the similar exploration wording.

Codes related to 60540

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