No office rate
Both are initial transcutaneous implant placements; 69716 applies below the 100 mm² surface-area threshold, while 69729 applies at or above it.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
69729 Hearing implant Medicare reimbursement rates in Maryland
Reports surgical placement of a large-surface osseointegrated skull implant with a transcutaneous connection for a bone-conduction hearing system. Compare 69729 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Maryland.
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 69729 in Maryland?
Maryland has 3 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 3 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$590.32–$649.83
3 of 3 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.
Where 69729 pays more and less in Maryland
Otology surgery
About 69729: Transcutaneous skull implant placement
Reports surgical placement of a large-surface osseointegrated skull implant with a transcutaneous connection for a bone-conduction hearing system.
An otolaryngologist places an osseointegrated fixture in the skull for a bone-conduction hearing system, with the implant connecting to an external sound processor through intact skin. The implant’s surface area must be 100 mm² or greater. This approach may be used for patients whose hearing needs are addressed with bone-conduction sound transmission, including some patients with conductive or mixed hearing loss or single-sided deafness. The implant surgery is typically performed in an operating room or other surgical facility.
Select this code based on the transcutaneous connection and documented implant surface area, not simply the patient’s hearing diagnosis. The operative report should identify the implant and establish that its surface area meets the 100 mm² threshold. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. 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% reduction. Modifier 50 supports bilateral reporting, paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services are not paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 69729
- 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
- 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 RVU9.72 · 55%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.43 · 36%
- Malpractice RVU1.47 · 8%
28
Medicare services in 2024 · #5720 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.
69729 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Maryland, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
69714 uses a percutaneous attachment to the external processor. 69729 uses a transcutaneous connection through intact skin.
No office rate
69730 is for replacing an existing transcutaneous implant with surface area of 100 mm² or greater; 69729 is for initial placement.
No office rate
69728 describes removal of a transcutaneous implant with surface area of 100 mm² or greater, rather than placement.
Compare 69729 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.
3 of 3 payment localities
Baltimore/Surr. Cntys →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$621.03
Dc + Md/Va Suburbs →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$649.83
Rest Of Maryland →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$590.32
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69729 billing questions
How does this code differ from 69716?
Both describe initial placement of an osseointegrated skull implant with a transcutaneous connection. Choose 69729 when the implant surface area is 100 mm² or greater; 69716 is for an area under 100 mm².
How does this differ from 69714?
69729 describes a transcutaneous connection through intact skin. 69714 describes an implant with a percutaneous attachment to the external processor.
What should the operative report document?
Document the transcutaneous connection and the implant’s surface area, along with the surgical placement. The area must be at least 100 mm² for 69729.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral implantation?
Yes. CMS treats the procedure as bilateral with modifier 50 and pays it at 150%.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Is this code for replacing an existing implant?
No. 69729 is for initial implant placement. Code 69730 describes replacement of the corresponding transcutaneous implant with a surface area of 100 mm² or greater.
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.
7,65669726,,Rmv ntr oi implt skl prq esp,A,,6.20,5.54,NA,5.54,,0.91,12.65,12.65,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,65769727,,Rmv ntr oi imp sk tc esp<100,A,,7.20,5.79,NA,5.79,,1.06,14.05,14.05,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,65869728,,Rmv ntr oi imp sk tc>=100,A,,8.29,6.06,NA,6.06,,1.21,15.56,15.56,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,65969729,,Impl oi implt sk tc esp>=100,A,,9.72,6.43,NA,6.43,,1.47,17.62,17.62,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,66069730,,Rplc oi implt sk tc esp>=100,A,,9.99,6.47,NA,6.47,,1.45,17.91,17.91,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,66169740,,Repair facial nerve,A,,15.86,12.33,NA,12.33,,2.32,30.51,30.51,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,66269745,,Repair facial nerve,A,,16.59,13.55,NA,13.55,,2.42,32.56,32.56,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00