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Billing code 69120: External ear excisionMedicare rate & RVUs

Complete excision of the external ear, typically for an extensive auricular lesion or disease when removal extends beyond a partial excision.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities185 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $360.73 for 69120 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 69120

External ear excision

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
4.04
Total RVUs
10.80
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$360.73

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 69120 → · 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 69120 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 69120 covers

This service removes the external ear, or auricle, completely rather than taking only a portion. Otolaryngologists and other surgeons treating auricular tumors may perform it, often when a lesion or disease requires removal of the entire external ear. The operative report should make clear that the excision was complete and identify the indication and the anatomy removed.

Choose this code for complete removal, not a limited excision of part of the ear. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, which includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. 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. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery, and 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 69120 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

69120 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$326.62
Alaska*Unavailable$433.09
ArizonaUnavailable$351.58
ArkansasUnavailable$322.34
AtlantaUnavailable$368.27
AustinUnavailable$370.82
BakersfieldUnavailable$375.70
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$382.49
BeaumontUnavailable$340.77
BrazoriaUnavailable$355.76

69120 rates by state

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

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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
69120 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 69120 rate is calculated

Each of 69120’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 · 69120

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 4.04Practice expense 6.19Malpractice 0.57

10.8000 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$360.73

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 69120

69120 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 69120

External ear 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)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)0.07/0.79/0.14Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 69120

External ear 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

69120 without 51 · national facility

$360.73

External ear excision

69120-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$180.37

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

69120 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

69120 vs 69110 vs 69100 vs 69140: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 69120
    External ear excision · 4.04 wRVU
    —
  • 69110
    Auricular excision · 3.44 wRVU
    $469.28
  • 69100
    Ear biopsy · 0.79 wRVU
    $92.52
  • 69140
    Ear canal excision · 7.94 wRVU
    —

How to choose

69110Auricular excision
69110 describes partial external-ear excision. Report 69120 when the external ear is removed completely.
69100Ear biopsy
69100 is for biopsy of the external ear. It represents tissue sampling, not complete removal.
69140Ear canal excision
69140 addresses excision of an external auditory canal lesion. Use 69120 for complete removal of the external ear itself.

Codes related to 69120

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

Codes related to 69120
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
69110Auricular excisionPartial external-ear excision; distinguishes limited removal from complete removal.$413.57–$623.43
Used instead
69100Ear biopsyBiopsy of the external ear when tissue sampling, rather than complete removal, is performed.$82.39–$122.54
69140Ear canal excisionExcision of an external auditory canal lesion, a different anatomic site.No office rate
69145Ear canal excisionExternal auditory canal lesion excision; applies to the canal rather than the auricle.$355.64–$542.78

69120 billing questions

How does this differ from 69110?

69120 is for complete external-ear removal. Use 69110 when the surgeon removes only part of the external ear.

Can 69120 be reported for an ear-canal lesion?

No. This code concerns complete removal of the external ear, not excision of a lesion in the external auditory canal. Codes such as 69140 or 69145 address canal lesions.

What documentation supports reporting 69120?

The operative report should identify the indication and describe removal of the external ear completely. Documentation of a partial excision supports considering 69110 instead.

Is modifier 50 appropriate for bilateral reporting?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inapplicable because the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.

What services are included in the global period?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid for this procedure?

CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 69120PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,587 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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