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Billing code 60600: Carotid body excisionMedicare rate & RVUs

Surgical removal of a carotid body lesion while preserving the carotid artery, typically for a paraganglioma at the carotid bifurcation.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities195 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,224.14 for 60600 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 60600

Carotid body excision

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
24.46
Total RVUs
36.65
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,224.14

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 60600 → · Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 60600 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 60600 covers

The carotid body sits at the division of the common carotid artery. This operation removes a lesion arising there, commonly a carotid body paraganglioma, through careful dissection around the carotid vessels. Vascular surgeons and head and neck surgeons typically perform it in an operating room. The defining feature for this code is removal of the lesion without excising the carotid artery.

Report 60600 when the operative record supports lesion excision with the carotid artery preserved; use 60605 when the artery is excised. Documentation should identify the carotid body lesion and describe the extent of dissection and whether artery removal occurred. This major surgery includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires 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 60600 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

60600 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,115.45
Alaska*Unavailable$1,562.96
ArizonaUnavailable$1,190.39
ArkansasUnavailable$1,102.39
AtlantaUnavailable$1,267.71
AustinUnavailable$1,217.22
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,187.66
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,297.61
BeaumontUnavailable$1,191.05
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,187.55

60600 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
60600 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 60600 rate is calculated

Each of 60600’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 · 60600

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 24.46Practice expense 6.59Malpractice 5.60

36.6500 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,224.14

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 60600

60600 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 60600

Carotid body excision

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.09/0.82/0.09Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 60600

Carotid body excision

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.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

60600 without 51 · national facility

$1,224.14

Carotid body excision

60600-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$612.07

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%).

When to use modifier 51

60600 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

60600 vs 60605 vs 60699: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 60600
    Carotid body excision · 24.46 wRVU
    —
  • 60605
    Carotid tumor excision · 31.16 wRVU
    —
  • 60699
    · 0 wRVU
    —

How to choose

60605Carotid tumor excision
Choose 60605 when excision of the carotid body lesion includes removal of the carotid artery; 60600 describes lesion removal with the artery preserved.
60699Unlisted px endocrine system
Use 60600 for the described carotid body lesion operation. Consider the unlisted code only when the actual procedure is not represented by a specific listed code.

Codes related to 60600

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

Codes related to 60600
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
60605Carotid tumor excisionRelated carotid body lesion excision code when the carotid artery is also excised.No office rate
Used instead
60699Unlisted px endocrine systemUnlisted endocrine procedure code for a procedure not represented by a specific listed code.No office rate

60600 billing questions

How do I distinguish 60600 from 60605?

Use 60600 when the carotid body lesion is removed without excising the carotid artery. When the operation includes excision of the artery, the related code is 60605.

Can modifier 50 be reported for bilateral work?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

How are other procedures in the same session paid?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction are paid at 50%.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is 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
RVUs for 60600PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,723 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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