$746.26–$781.45
Choose 77778 for complex interstitial source placement within tissue; choose 77763 for complex application through an intracavitary applicator.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
77778 Interstitial brachytherapy Medicare reimbursement rates in Maine
Reports complex placement of radioactive sources within tumor tissue for interstitial brachytherapy, rather than treatment delivered through a cavity or surface applicator. Compare 77778 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 77778 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
$875.75–$920.57
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
No 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.
Radiation oncology
About 77778: Complex interstitial brachytherapy source placement
Reports complex placement of radioactive sources within tumor tissue for interstitial brachytherapy, rather than treatment delivered through a cavity or surface applicator.
This service covers complex interstitial brachytherapy, in which radioactive sources are placed directly within or alongside tumor tissue. A radiation oncologist, often working with a procedural specialist, may perform the application in an operating room or procedure suite. Prostate seed implantation is a familiar example; interstitial techniques may also be used for selected tumors at other sites. This approach differs from delivering radiation through a cavity applicator or across the skin surface.
Report the code when the documented service is a complex interstitial source application. The record should support the interstitial approach, treated site, source placement, and complexity. CMS identifies professional and technical components: modifier 26 represents the professional interpretation, modifier TC the equipment and staff, and no modifier the global service. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 77778
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
- Professional and technical components
- Diagnostic test with a professional component (modifier 26, interpretation) and a technical component (modifier TC, equipment and staff); billing without a modifier is the global service.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU8.56 · 31%
- Practice expense (office) RVU18.83 · 67%
- Malpractice RVU0.54 · 2%
3.3K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2109 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.
77778 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Maine, from the same CMS release.
$325.21–$345.24
77770 describes high-dose-rate remote afterloading. This code describes complex interstitial source application, not that remote-afterloading service.
$232.60–$247.81
77767 is for high-dose-rate radiation delivered at the skin surface. This code is for complex interstitial placement within tissue.
Compare 77778 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
$875.75
Facility
Unavailable
Southern Maine →
Office / nonfacility
$920.57
Facility
Unavailable
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77778 billing questions
How does this differ from an intracavitary application?
This code is for complex placement of sources within tissue. Use an intracavitary application code when radiation is delivered through an applicator positioned in a body cavity.
Can the professional and technical components be billed separately?
Yes. CMS identifies modifier 26 for the professional interpretation and modifier TC for the technical service; reporting without a modifier represents the global service.
Is modifier 50 appropriate for bilateral treatment?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 should not be used.
What same-day care is included?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
When may an assistant at surgery be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when the medical necessity of the assistant is documented. 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.
9,16677772,,Hdr rdncl ntrstl/icav brchtx,A,,5.27,21.73,,21.73,NA,0.39,27.39,27.39,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,16777772,26,Hdr rdncl ntrstl/icav brchtx,A,,5.27,2.92,,2.92,,0.22,8.41,8.41,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,16877772,TC,Hdr rdncl ntrstl/icav brchtx,A,,0.00,18.81,,18.81,NA,0.17,18.98,18.98,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,16977778,,Apply interstit radiat compl,A,,8.56,18.83,,18.83,NA,0.54,27.93,27.93,1,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,17077778,26,Apply interstit radiat compl,A,,8.56,4.83,,4.83,,0.38,13.77,13.77,1,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,17177778,TC,Apply interstit radiat compl,A,,0.00,14.00,,14.00,NA,0.16,14.16,14.16,1,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,17277789,,Apply surf ldr radionuclide,A,,1.11,2.80,,2.80,NA,0.07,3.98,3.98,1,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00