Billing code 61536: Temporal lobectomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Reports a temporal lobe resection for epilepsy performed through a craniotomy when intraoperative electrocorticography is not used as part of the procedure.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61536 in Delaware.
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 61536 covers
A neurosurgeon uses a craniotomy to remove temporal lobe tissue as epilepsy surgery, typically for a patient with focal seizures that remain uncontrolled despite medical treatment. The operative report should establish that the resection is a temporal lobectomy, rather than a more limited removal of an identified epileptogenic focus or a resection in another brain region. This procedure is generally performed in a hospital operating room.
Select this code when the temporal lobectomy is performed without electrocorticography as part of the operation; the corresponding code for a temporal lobectomy with electrocorticography is 61537. Documentation should identify the operative site, resection performed, and whether electrocorticography was used. The 90-day global period includes 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. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; 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.
61536 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Unavailable | $2,424.98 |
How the 61536 rate is calculated
Each of 61536’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 · 61536
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work36.78
36.78 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense21.94
21.94 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice15.53
15.53 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
74.2500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$2,480.02
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61536
61536 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 61536
Temporal 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 · 61536
Temporal 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
61536 without 51 · national facility
$2,480.02
Temporal lobectomy
61536-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,240.01
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%).
61536 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 61537Brain resection
- This code is for temporal lobectomy without electrocorticography. Code 61537 is the temporal lobectomy variant when electrocorticography is used.
- 61533Brain electrode placement
- Code 61533 describes excision of an epileptogenic focus without electrocorticography, not a temporal lobectomy.
- 61534Epilepsy surgery
- Code 61534 describes excision of an epileptogenic focus with electrocorticography. Choose based on the operation performed, not simply the epilepsy diagnosis.
- 61538Temporal lobectomy
- Code 61538 describes lobectomy outside the temporal lobe without electrocorticography; 61536 is specific to temporal lobectomy.
61536 billing questions
How does 61536 differ from 61537?
Both describe temporal lobectomy for epilepsy. Use 61536 when electrocorticography is not used as part of the operation; use 61537 when it is.
Is 61536 for a limited epileptogenic focus resection?
No. It describes a temporal lobectomy. Codes 61533 and 61534 describe excision of an epileptogenic focus rather than a temporal lobectomy.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
Should modifier 50 be used for bilateral temporal surgery?
No. The CMS facts identify bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
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
Fee sheets
Put 61536 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →