Billing code 61797: Cranial radiosurgeryMedicare rate & RVUs in Nebraska
Reports treatment of each additional simple cranial target during stereotactic radiosurgery, alongside the primary code for a simple lesion.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61797 in Nebraska.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 61797 covers
Code 61797 represents stereotactic radiosurgery directed at an additional simple intracranial lesion during a treatment session. SRS delivers focused radiation to a cranial target without open surgical removal; clinical targets may include brain metastases or other intracranial lesions selected for radiosurgical treatment. Neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists commonly participate in planning and treatment, often in a hospital or specialized radiosurgery setting.
Report 61797 for each additional simple lesion treated, with 61796 as the primary procedure for the simple-lesion treatment. The record should identify the lesions treated, support their classification as simple, and document the radiosurgery plan and delivered treatment. This is an add-on code: it is not billed alone, and Medicare payment falls within the primary procedure’s global period.
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.
61797 in Nebraska
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | Unavailable | $167.54 |
How the 61797 rate is calculated
Each of 61797’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 61797
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work3.39
3.39 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.18
1.18 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.42
1.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
5.9900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$200.07
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61797
The CMS indicators that decide how 61797 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 61797
Cranial radiosurgery
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 80 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
61797 without 80 · national facility
$200.07
Cranial radiosurgery
61797-80 · Assistant: 16%
$32.01
A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.
61797 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 61796Cranial radiosurgery
- 61796 is the primary simple-lesion radiosurgery procedure; 61797 adds each further simple lesion treated.
- 61798Cranial radiosurgery
- 61798 is the primary code for a complex cranial lesion. Use 61797 only for additional lesions classified as simple.
- 61799Cranial radiosurgery
- 61799 reports each additional complex lesion, while 61797 reports each additional simple lesion.
61797 billing questions
When is 61797 reported instead of 61796?
Use 61796 for the primary simple-lesion radiosurgery procedure. Report 61797 for each additional simple lesion treated in that session.
Can 61797 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with the applicable primary procedure, 61796 for simple-lesion treatment.
How many units should be reported?
Report one unit for each additional simple lesion treated. The record should identify each target and show that radiosurgery was delivered to it.
How does 61797 differ from 61799?
Both represent additional cranial lesions, but 61797 is for lesions classified as simple and 61799 for those classified as complex.
What documentation supports the additional-lesion code?
Document the number and identity of lesions, their simple classification, the treatment plan, and delivery of radiosurgery to each additional target.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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