No office rate
Both address pituitary removal or tumor excision, but 61546 is transcranial; 61548 uses a transnasal or transseptal approach.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
61546 Pituitary surgery Medicare reimbursement rates in Maine
Reports transcranial removal of the pituitary gland or excision of a pituitary tumor when the surgeon reaches the sellar region through a cranial approach. Compare 61546 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Maine.
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 61546 in Maine?
Maine has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$2003.97–$2056.65
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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.
Neurosurgery
About 61546: Transcranial pituitary gland removal
Reports transcranial removal of the pituitary gland or excision of a pituitary tumor when the surgeon reaches the sellar region through a cranial approach.
This code describes a transcranial operation to remove the pituitary gland or excise a pituitary tumor. A neurosurgeon performs the procedure in an operating room, using a cranial route to reach the sellar region. The operative report should establish the pituitary target and identify the transcranial approach; a transnasal or transsphenoidal route points to a different code.
Report the service for the documented operation, not simply because a pituitary lesion was treated. The 90-day global period 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%. Do not append modifier 50 for pituitary removal. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 61546
- 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU32.60 · 49%
- Practice expense (office) RVU20.47 · 31%
- Malpractice RVU13.77 · 21%
32
Medicare services in 2024 · #5629 by national volume
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.
61546 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Maine, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Use 62165 for neuroendoscopic pituitary tumor excision through a transnasal or transsphenoidal route, rather than a transcranial operation.
Compare 61546 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Rest Of Maine →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$2003.97
Southern Maine →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$2056.65
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61546 billing questions
How do I distinguish this code from 61548?
Use 61546 for a transcranial route. Code 61548 describes pituitary removal or tumor excision by a transnasal or transseptal route.
When is 62165 a better fit?
Use 62165 when the pituitary tumor is excised through a neuroendoscopic transnasal or transsphenoidal approach. The documented approach, rather than the diagnosis alone, distinguishes it from 61546.
What should the operative report document?
Document the pituitary gland or tumor treated and the cranial route used to reach it. The report should make clear that the operation was transcranial rather than transnasal or transsphenoidal.
Does modifier 50 apply?
No. Report the transcranial pituitary operation without modifier 50; pituitary removal is not a bilateral procedure.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. Related care during that period is included in the surgical service.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 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.
6,80261543,,Removal of brain tissue,A,,30.53,19.75,NA,19.75,,12.89,63.17,63.17,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,80361544,,Remove & treat brain lesion,A,,26.68,17.33,NA,17.33,,11.28,55.29,55.29,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,80461545,,Excision of brain tumor,A,,45.27,27.50,NA,27.50,,19.10,91.87,91.87,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,80561546,,Removal of pituitary gland,A,,32.60,20.47,NA,20.47,,13.77,66.84,66.84,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,80661548,,Removal of pituitary gland,A,,22.79,13.62,NA,13.62,,8.11,44.52,44.52,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,80761550,,Release of skull seams,A,,15.20,14.87,NA,14.87,,6.41,36.48,36.48,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,80861552,,Release of skull seams,A,,19.89,16.01,NA,16.01,,8.38,44.28,44.28,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00