Billing code 61864: Brain electrode implantMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports placement of each additional subcortical neurostimulator electrode array through a twist drill or burr hole when intraoperative microelectrode recording is not used.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61864 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 61864 covers
A neurosurgeon places an additional electrode array in a subcortical brain target for neurostimulation, using a twist drill or burr hole. This code is for an array beyond the first during the implantation procedure and describes the pathway without intraoperative microelectrode recording. Such electrode placement is commonly part of deep brain stimulation surgery for movement disorders, including Parkinson disease, essential tremor, or dystonia.
Report 61864 with the first-array code 61863 when the operative documentation supports an additional array placed during the same procedure. The note should identify the number of arrays implanted, the subcortical placement, the surgical approach, and whether intraoperative microelectrode recording was used. CMS classifies 61864 as an add-on code: it is billed only with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure’s global period.
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.
61864 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | Unavailable | $308.09 |
How the 61864 rate is calculated
Each of 61864’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 · 61864
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 4.38Practice expense 1.54Malpractice 1.84
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61864
The CMS indicators that decide how 61864 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 61864
Brain electrode implant
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| 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. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 80 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
61864 without 80 · national facility
$259.19
Brain electrode implant
61864-80 · Assistant: 16%
$41.47
A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.
61864 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
61864 vs 61863 vs 61868 vs 61867: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 61863Brain electrode placement
- 61863 covers the first subcortical array without intraoperative microelectrode recording; 61864 covers each additional array in that procedure.
- 61868DBS electrode
- Use 61868 for an additional array when intraoperative microelectrode recording is used; 61864 is for the pathway without that recording.
- 61867Neuroelectrode placement
- 61867 covers the first array when intraoperative microelectrode recording is used. It is not the additional-array code; that code is 61868.
61864 billing questions
When is 61864 reported with 61863?
Report 61864 for an additional subcortical electrode array placed during the procedure, with 61863 for the first array when intraoperative microelectrode recording is not used.
Does 61864 count electrode contacts or arrays?
It represents an additional electrode array, not each contact on an array. The operative report should document the number of arrays implanted.
How does 61864 differ from 61868?
Both describe an additional array. 61864 is for the procedure without intraoperative microelectrode recording; 61868 is the corresponding additional-array code when that recording is used.
Can 61864 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with the primary procedure, typically 61863 for the first array in this no-recording pathway.
What documentation supports reporting 61864?
Document the additional array’s placement, the subcortical target and approach, and whether intraoperative microelectrode recording was used.
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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