CPT code 61540: Brain lobectomy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports surgical removal of a brain lobe other than the temporal lobe for a seizure focus when electrocorticography is performed during surgery.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61540 in Alaska.
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 9 sections
What 61540 covers
A neurosurgeon performs a craniotomy and removes a brain lobe other than the temporal lobe, commonly as epilepsy surgery for a localized seizure focus. Intraoperative electrocorticography (ECoG) is part of the service represented by this code. A frontal or parietal lobectomy for drug-resistant focal epilepsy is a typical clinical context; presurgical EEG testing alone is not the intraoperative feature that distinguishes this service.
Select this code when the operative report supports a non-temporal lobectomy and documents ECoG during the operation. A temporal lobectomy or a non-temporal lobectomy without intraoperative ECoG belongs to a different sibling code. The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the major-surgery global period. When multiple procedures are performed 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.
61540 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | Unavailable | $2,474.20 |
How the 61540 rate is calculated
Each of 61540’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 · 61540
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work30.64
30.64 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense19.70
19.70 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice12.95
12.95 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
63.2900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$2,113.94
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61540
61540 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 61540
Brain lobectomy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.11/0.76/0.13 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 61540
Brain lobectomy
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
61540 without 51 · national facility
$2,113.94
Brain lobectomy
61540-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,056.97
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%).
61540 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 61539Epilepsy surgery
- Both are for lobectomy outside the temporal lobe. Choose 61540 when intraoperative ECoG is performed and 61539 when it is not.
- 61538Temporal lobectomy
- Both include intraoperative ECoG, but 61538 is for temporal lobectomy; 61540 is for a lobe other than the temporal lobe.
- 61534Epilepsy surgery
- This code describes non-temporal lobectomy with intraoperative ECoG. Code 61534 describes excision of an epileptogenic focus with ECoG rather than removal of a lobe.
61540 billing questions
How does this differ from code 61539?
Both describe a lobectomy outside the temporal lobe. Code 61540 is the choice when ECoG is performed during surgery; 61539 describes the procedure without intraoperative ECoG.
Does preoperative EEG support this code?
No. The distinguishing feature is ECoG performed during the operation, not EEG testing completed before surgery.
Is a temporal lobectomy reported with this code?
No. This code is for a lobe other than the temporal lobe; temporal lobectomy codes distinguish whether intraoperative ECoG is performed.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral surgery?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service.
What should the operative report document?
Document the lobe removed, the lobectomy performed, and ECoG during surgery. The record should distinguish this procedure from a temporal lobectomy or a non-temporal lobectomy without intraoperative ECoG.
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
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