No office rate
Use 64736 when the operative target is the chin nerve; use 64738 when the surgeon identifies the jaw nerve as the nerve treated.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
64738 Nerve neurectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Reports operative interruption or removal of a nerve serving the jaw, selected when the surgeon treats that specific nerve rather than another facial nerve. Compare 64738 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Kentucky.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 64738 in Kentucky?
Kentucky has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$393.75
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Peripheral nerve surgery
About 64738: Jaw nerve neurectomy
Reports operative interruption or removal of a nerve serving the jaw, selected when the surgeon treats that specific nerve rather than another facial nerve.
This operation surgically interrupts or removes a nerve serving the jaw, rather than simply releasing pressure around it. It may be performed for selected cases of severe neuralgic pain involving the jaw when the surgeon’s plan is to treat the identified nerve. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons, neurosurgeons, or other surgeons experienced with nerve procedures may perform it in an operating room.
Select the code based on the nerve treated, not just the location where the patient feels pain. The operative report should identify the jaw nerve and describe the surgical work, indication, and laterality. The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 64738
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU6.20 · 50%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.36 · 43%
- Malpractice RVU0.90 · 7%
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.
64738 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
Compare 64738 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Kentucky →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$393.75
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 64738 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
7,218
- Code
- 64738
- Physician work
- 6.20
- Practice expense
- 5.36
- Malpractice
- 0.90
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 6.20 | × 1.000 | 6.2000 |
| Practice expense | 5.36 | × 0.889 | 4.7650 |
| Malpractice | 0.90 | × 0.915 | 0.8235 |
| Total RVUs | 11.7885 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Kentucky$393.75
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 6.2 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 5.36 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 0.9 | 0.915 |
(6.2 × 1 + 5.36 × 0.889 + 0.9 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $393.75
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
64738 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from the chin or tongue nerve codes?
Choose this code when the operative report identifies the jaw nerve as the nerve treated. The chin and tongue nerve codes apply when the surgeon treats those specifically identified nerves.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should name the jaw nerve, describe its surgical interruption or removal, and state the indication and laterality. A symptom description alone does not establish which nerve was treated.
How is bilateral surgery reported?
For a bilateral procedure, report modifier 50; CMS pays it at 150% under the supplied fee schedule rule.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. The 90-day global also includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant participate in this surgery?
CMS permits payment for an assistant at surgery. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted 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 indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
7,21564732,,Incision of brow nerve,A,,4.77,8.02,NA,8.02,,2.01,14.80,14.80,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,21664734,,Incision of cheek nerve,A,,5.41,8.99,NA,8.99,,2.28,16.68,16.68,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,21764736,,Incision of chin nerve,A,,5.10,3.47,NA,3.47,,0.57,9.14,9.14,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,21864738,,Incision of jaw nerve,A,,6.20,5.36,NA,5.36,,0.90,12.46,12.46,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,21964740,,Incision of tongue nerve,A,,6.06,5.95,NA,5.95,,0.88,12.89,12.89,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,22064742,,Incision of facial nerve,A,,6.68,5.55,NA,5.55,,0.51,12.74,12.74,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,22164744,,Incise nerve back of head,A,,5.58,8.30,NA,8.30,,2.35,16.23,16.23,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5208102,IN,00,INDIANA,1.000,0.927,0.486
5305102,IA,00,IOWA,1.000,0.915,0.397
5405202,KS,00,KANSAS,1.000,0.904,0.504
5515102,KY,00,KENTUCKY,1.000,0.889,0.915
5607202,LA,01,NEW ORLEANS,1.000,0.941,1.136
5707202,LA,99,REST OF LOUISIANA,1.000,0.885,0.958
5814112,ME,03,SOUTHERN MAINE,1.000,0.991,0.631