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Billing code 69905: LabyrinthectomyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports removal of the inner-ear labyrinth through the ear canal, typically to treat disabling vertigo when hearing in the affected ear is not serviceable.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities16 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $818.66 for 69905 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 69905

Labyrinthectomy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
10.98
Total RVUs
24.51
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$818.66

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 69905 → · 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 69905 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 69905 covers

An otologist or neurotologist performs this operation through the external auditory canal to remove the labyrinth, the inner-ear structures responsible for balance. It is a destructive procedure that eliminates vestibular function and hearing in the treated ear. A typical clinical setting is severe, persistent vertigo arising from an inner-ear disorder when hearing in that ear is already nonserviceable; the operation is generally performed in a hospital operating room.

Select this code when the documented operation uses the transcanal approach and removes the labyrinth; an approach that includes mastoidectomy is represented by a different code. The operative report should identify the approach, structures treated, and side. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 bilateral reporting is paid at 150%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; 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 69905 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

69905 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$745.55
Alaska*Unavailable$1,003.76
ArizonaUnavailable$798.57
ArkansasUnavailable$736.44
AtlantaUnavailable$836.94
AustinUnavailable$836.35
BakersfieldUnavailable$842.82
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$866.33
BeaumontUnavailable$779.01
BrazoriaUnavailable$806.18

69905 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.

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
69905 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 69905 rate is calculated

Each of 69905’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 · 69905

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 10.98Practice expense 11.92Malpractice 1.61

24.5100 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$818.66

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 69905

69905 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 69905

Labyrinthectomy

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)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
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 · 69905

Labyrinthectomy

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 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

69905 without 50 · national facility

$818.66

Labyrinthectomy

69905-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,227.99

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

69905 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

69905 vs 69910 vs 69915 vs 69950: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 69905
    Labyrinthectomy · 10.98 wRVU
    —
  • 69910
    Labyrinthectomy · 13.56 wRVU
    —
  • 69915
    Vestibular nerve section · 22.2 wRVU
    —
  • 69950
    Vestibular nerve section · 26.94 wRVU
    —

How to choose

69910Labyrinthectomy
Choose 69905 for labyrinth removal through the ear canal. Choose 69910 when the procedure includes mastoidectomy.
69915Vestibular nerve section
69915 reports transcanal vestibular nerve section; 69905 reports removal of the labyrinth itself.
69950Vestibular nerve section
69950 reports vestibular nerve section through a translabyrinthine approach. 69905 is labyrinth removal through the ear canal.

Codes related to 69905

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

Codes related to 69905
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
69910LabyrinthectomyLabyrinth removal with mastoidectomy, rather than the transcanal approach.No office rate
Used instead
69915Vestibular nerve sectionTranscanal vestibular nerve section treats a related balance disorder by cutting the nerve.No office rate
69950Vestibular nerve sectionVestibular nerve section through a translabyrinthine approach, rather than labyrinth removal.No office rate

69905 billing questions

How is this code distinguished from 69910?

69905 describes labyrinth removal through the ear canal. Use 69910 when the operation includes a mastoidectomy.

How does this differ from vestibular nerve section?

Labyrinthectomy removes the inner-ear labyrinth. Vestibular nerve section, reported with codes such as 69915 or 69950, cuts the balance nerve instead.

Does the global period include postoperative visits?

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

How is bilateral surgery reported?

For bilateral performance, report modifier 50; CMS pays this code at 150% under the stated bilateral rule.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be billed?

Medicare 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 69905PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,667 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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