Billing code 64736: Mental nerve surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs in Illinois
Reports surgical interruption of the mental nerve, a sensory nerve serving the chin and lower lip, for a documented operative indication.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 64736 in Illinois.
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 64736 covers
This procedure deliberately interrupts the mental nerve, a terminal sensory branch of the trigeminal nerve that supplies sensation to the chin and lower lip. It may be performed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon or another surgeon treating a documented condition involving this nerve, generally in an operating room. The operative target is the mental nerve itself, not a nearby cheek, jaw, or tongue nerve.
Report the code when the operative record supports intentional division or avulsion of the mental nerve; document the side, nerve treated, indication, and technique. The service has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For bilateral surgery reported with modifier 50, CMS pays at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; 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 64736 pays more and less in Illinois
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Unavailable | $331.71 |
| East St. Louis | Unavailable | $315.32 |
| Rest Of Illinois | Unavailable | $305.92 |
| Suburban Chicago | Unavailable | $324.30 |
How the 64736 rate is calculated
Each of 64736’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 · 64736
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work5.10
5.10 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense3.47
3.47 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.57
0.57 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
9.1400
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$305.28
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 64736
64736 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 64736
Mental nerve 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) | 2 | Paid. |
| 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) | 0.11/0.76/0.13 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 64736
Mental nerve 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
64736 without 50 · national facility
$305.28
Mental nerve surgery
64736-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$457.92
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).
64736 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 64734Nerve transection
- 64734 is for the infraorbital nerve in the cheek region. Choose 64736 when the mental nerve supplying the chin and lower lip is the operative target.
- 64738Nerve neurectomy
- 64738 targets a jaw nerve, while 64736 targets the mental nerve. Base code selection on the nerve actually treated and identified in the operative record.
- 64740Nerve neurotomy
- 64740 addresses the tongue nerve. It is not the appropriate choice for surgery directed at the mental nerve of the chin and lower lip.
64736 billing questions
How is this different from the cheek nerve procedure?
This code is for the mental nerve supplying the chin and lower lip. The cheek nerve code, 64734, targets the infraorbital nerve.
When would 64738 be more appropriate?
Use 64738 when the operative target is the jaw nerve rather than the mental nerve. The operative note should identify the specific nerve treated.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Document the indication, the mental nerve as the operative target, the side, and the action performed. The record should distinguish intentional nerve interruption from work on a neighboring nerve.
How should bilateral mental nerve surgery be reported?
Report bilateral surgery with modifier 50. CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
Does the global period include related postoperative care?
Yes. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
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 64736 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 →