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Billing code 61720: Brain electrode placementMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports stereotactic placement of intracranial electrodes for prolonged seizure monitoring when the epilepsy team needs to localize seizure activity within the brain.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities14 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,262.89 for 61720 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 61720

Brain electrode placement

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
17.18
Total RVUs
37.81
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,262.89

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 61720 → · 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 61720 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 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

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

109 of 109 payment localities

61720 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,101.93
Alaska*Unavailable$1,470.12
ArizonaUnavailable$1,214.16
ArkansasUnavailable$1,082.43
AtlantaUnavailable$1,320.43
AustinUnavailable$1,262.35
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,222.01
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,362.08
BeaumontUnavailable$1,205.47
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,210.18

61720 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

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View every state and territory as a table
61720 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 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

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 17.18Practice expense 13.38Malpractice 7.25

37.8100 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,262.89

All indexes start 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

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)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.11/0.76/0.13Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 61720

Brain electrode 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.

  • 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

61720 without 51 · national facility

$1,262.89

Brain electrode placement

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%).

When to use modifier 51

61720 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

61720 vs 61735 vs 61750 vs 61751: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 61720
    Brain electrode placement · 17.18 wRVU
    —
  • 61735
    Brain lesioning · 21.79 wRVU
    —
  • 61750
    Brain biopsy · 19.33 wRVU
    —
  • 61751
    Brain biopsy · 18.32 wRVU
    —

How to choose

61735Brain lesioning
Use 61720 for electrode placement to record seizures over time; 61735 describes placement for functional neurosurgery.
61750Brain biopsy
61750 is for stereotactic intracranial tissue sampling or lesion removal, not placement of electrodes for seizure monitoring.
61751Brain biopsy
61751 describes stereotactic brain biopsy with imaging guidance; 61720 is electrode implantation for prolonged seizure recording.

Codes related to 61720

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

Codes related to 61720
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
61735Brain lesioningStereotactic brain electrode placement for functional neurosurgery rather than seizure monitoring.No office rate
61760Depth electrodesRelated intracranial electrode implantation code; select according to the specific electrode service performed.No office rate
Used instead
61863Brain electrode placementUsed for implantation of a neurostimulator electrode array rather than seizure-monitoring electrodes.No office rate

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
RVUs for 61720PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,876 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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