$435.96–$460.08
69110 describes partial external-ear excision. Report 69120 when the external ear is removed completely.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
69120 External ear excision Medicare reimbursement rates in Maine
Complete excision of the external ear, typically for an extensive auricular lesion or disease when removal extends beyond a partial excision. Compare 69120 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 69120 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
$336.99–$351.84
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.
Otolaryngology surgery
About 69120: Complete external ear excision
Complete excision of the external ear, typically for an extensive auricular lesion or disease when removal extends beyond a partial excision.
This service removes the external ear, or auricle, completely rather than taking only a portion. Otolaryngologists and other surgeons treating auricular tumors may perform it, often when a lesion or disease requires removal of the entire external ear. The operative report should make clear that the excision was complete and identify the indication and the anatomy removed.
Choose this code for complete removal, not a limited excision of part of the ear. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, which includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. 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 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 69120
- 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU4.04 · 37%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.19 · 57%
- Malpractice RVU0.57 · 5%
185
Medicare services in 2024 · #4389 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.
69120 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Maine, from the same CMS release.
$86.53–$91.08
69100 is for biopsy of the external ear. It represents tissue sampling, not complete removal.
No office rate
69140 addresses excision of an external auditory canal lesion. Use 69120 for complete removal of the external ear itself.
Compare 69120 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
$336.99
Southern Maine →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$351.84
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69120 billing questions
How does this differ from 69110?
69120 is for complete external-ear removal. Use 69110 when the surgeon removes only part of the external ear.
Can 69120 be reported for an ear-canal lesion?
No. This code concerns complete removal of the external ear, not excision of a lesion in the external auditory canal. Codes such as 69140 or 69145 address canal lesions.
What documentation supports reporting 69120?
The operative report should identify the indication and describe removal of the external ear completely. Documentation of a partial excision supports considering 69110 instead.
Is modifier 50 appropriate for bilateral reporting?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inapplicable because the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
What services are included in the global period?
The 90-day major-surgery global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid for this procedure?
CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery 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 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.
7,58469100,,Biopsy of external ear,A,,0.79,1.91,,0.26,,0.07,2.77,1.12,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,58569105,,Biopsy of external ear canal,A,,0.83,3.37,,0.78,,0.11,4.31,1.72,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,58669110,,Remove external ear partial,A,,3.44,10.11,,5.06,,0.50,14.05,9.00,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,58769120,,Removal of external ear,A,,4.04,6.19,NA,6.19,,0.57,10.80,10.80,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,58869140,,Remove ear canal lesion(s),A,,7.94,16.13,NA,16.13,,1.16,25.23,25.23,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,58969145,,Remove ear canal lesion(s),A,,2.63,9.10,,4.08,,0.39,12.12,7.10,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,59069150,,Extensive ear canal surgery,A,,13.27,11.62,NA,11.62,,2.06,26.95,26.95,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00