CPT code 61543: Seizure focus excision2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports craniotomy to remove a brain area identified as an epileptogenic focus when intraoperative electrocorticography is not performed.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61543 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 61543 covers
A neurosurgeon uses a craniotomy to remove brain tissue identified as the source of seizures. This operation is used in epilepsy surgery when the treatment plan calls for excision of a discrete epileptogenic focus and electrocorticography is not performed during the operation. The operative report should establish the seizure-related target and describe the tissue removed; a general brain lesion excision or a planned lobectomy may fit a different code.
Report one unit for the qualifying operation. Documentation should distinguish focus excision from lobectomy and state whether intraoperative electrocorticography was performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of 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. 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.
61543 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | Unavailable | $2,469.37 |
How the 61543 rate is calculated
Each of 61543’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 · 61543
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work30.53
30.53 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense19.75
19.75 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice12.89
12.89 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
63.1700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$2,109.93
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61543
61543 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 61543
Seizure focus excision
| 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 · 61543
Seizure focus 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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
61543 without 51 · national facility
$2,109.93
Seizure focus excision
61543-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,054.97
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%).
61543 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 61544Seizure focus excision
- The key distinction is intraoperative electrocorticography: 61543 is for focus excision without it, while 61544 is for focus excision with it.
- 61534Epilepsy surgery
- 61534 describes temporal lobectomy without intraoperative electrocorticography. Use 61543 for excision of an epileptogenic focus when the operation is not documented as a temporal lobectomy.
- 61545Brain tumor surgery
- 61545 is for excision of a brain tumor. Choose 61543 when the operative target is an epileptogenic focus rather than a tumor.
61543 billing questions
How does this code differ from 61544?
Both describe excision of an epileptogenic focus. Use 61543 when intraoperative electrocorticography is not performed; 61544 represents the corresponding procedure with electrocorticography.
Is this the right code for a temporal lobectomy?
Not when the operation is documented as a temporal lobectomy. Select the lobectomy code that matches the procedure and whether intraoperative electrocorticography was performed.
What documentation supports reporting 61543?
The operative report should identify the epileptogenic focus, describe the brain tissue excised, and support that intraoperative electrocorticography was not performed.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS allows payment for an assistant at surgery. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. Those included services are part of the surgical global package.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction to the other procedures.
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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