Billing code 69660: Stapes surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Reports primary stapes surgery to improve sound transmission when fixation, commonly from otosclerosis, causes conductive hearing loss.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 69660 in Florida.
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 69660 covers
An otolaryngologist performs this middle-ear operation to address a fixed stapes that is limiting sound transmission, often in a patient with conductive hearing loss from otosclerosis. The surgeon works through the ear canal, removes or creates an opening in the stapes footplate, and restores the sound-conducting pathway, commonly using a prosthesis. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room.
Report this code for the primary stapes operation, rather than a revision procedure or a case requiring footplate drill-out. The operative report should identify the stapes work performed, the condition treated, and whether the ossicular pathway was restored. 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 one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; 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 69660 pays more and less in Florida
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | Unavailable | $870.22 |
| Miami | Unavailable | $921.99 |
| Rest Of Florida | Unavailable | $831.62 |
How the 69660 rate is calculated
Each of 69660’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 · 69660
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work11.73
11.73 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense11.07
11.07 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.72
1.72 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
24.5200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$818.99
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 69660
69660 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 69660
Stapes surgery
| 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) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.07/0.79/0.14 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 69660
Stapes surgery
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 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
69660 without 50 · national facility
$818.99
Stapes surgery
69660-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$1,228.49
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).
69660 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 69650Stapes mobilization
- 69650 describes stapes mobilization. Choose 69660 when the surgeon performs primary stapes surgery to restore sound transmission rather than mobilizing the stapes.
- 69661Stapes revision
- 69661 applies when the stapes procedure includes footplate drill-out; 69660 is the primary stapes procedure without that distinction.
- 69662Stapes revision
- 69662 is for revision of prior stapes surgery. 69660 is for the primary operation.
- 69631Tympanoplasty
- 69631 addresses repair involving the tympanic membrane and middle-ear structures. 69660 targets the stapes as the cause of impaired sound transmission.
69660 billing questions
How does this differ from 69661?
Use 69660 for primary stapes surgery without footplate drill-out. 69661 describes the distinct procedure involving drill-out of the footplate.
When is 69662 the better choice?
69662 is for revision stapes surgery. Use 69660 for the primary operation, not a reoperation on prior stapes surgery.
Can the prosthesis be reported separately?
The prosthesis is part of the stapes operation described by this code; do not separately report it as another physician procedure.
How is bilateral surgery reported?
Report bilateral performance with modifier 50. CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
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 surgeon or co-surgeon be paid?
CMS applies a statutory restriction to assistant-at-surgery payment 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
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