CPT code 61539: Epilepsy surgery2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Reports open excision of an epileptogenic brain focus when electrocorticography is performed during surgery to help identify the tissue being removed.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61539 in Oregon.
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 61539 covers
A neurosurgeon uses a craniotomy to remove a localized area of brain tissue identified as the source of focal seizures, with electrocorticography performed during the operation. This approach may be used for a patient with medically refractory epilepsy when the planned resection is a discrete epileptogenic focus rather than removal of an entire lobe. The service is typically performed in a hospital operating room with intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring support.
Select this code when the operative report supports excision of an epileptogenic focus and documents electrocorticography during surgery; a lobectomy or focus excision without that monitoring points to a different code. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
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.
Where 61539 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Unavailable | $2,255.37 |
| Rest Of Oregon | Unavailable | $2,138.44 |
How the 61539 rate is calculated
Each of 61539’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 · 61539
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work33.42
33.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense20.76
20.76 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice14.12
14.12 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
68.3000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$2,281.28
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61539
61539 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 61539
Epilepsy surgery
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.11/0.76/0.13 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 61539
Epilepsy surgery
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
61539 without 51 · national facility
$2,281.28
Epilepsy surgery
61539-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,140.64
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
61539 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 61538Temporal lobectomy
- Use 61539 when electrocorticography is performed during the focus excision; 61538 describes focus excision without it.
- 61534Epilepsy surgery
- This code is for excision of a localized epileptogenic focus. Code 61534 describes temporal lobectomy with intraoperative electrocorticography.
- 61537Brain resection
- This code describes removal of a localized epileptogenic focus. Code 61537 is for partial or total lobectomy outside the temporal lobe with intraoperative electrocorticography.
61539 billing questions
How is this code different from 61538?
Both describe excision of an epileptogenic focus, but 61539 includes electrocorticography during surgery. Use 61538 when the focus is excised without intraoperative electrocorticography.
When should a lobectomy code be considered instead?
Choose the applicable lobectomy code when the surgeon removes a temporal or other brain lobe rather than a localized epileptogenic focus. The operative report should identify the extent and site of the resection.
Is intraoperative electrocorticography separately reported with 61539?
The code describes focus excision with electrocorticography during surgery. The operative documentation should establish that the monitoring occurred as part of the procedure.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral excision?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for its descriptor or anatomy.
What documentation supports reporting 61539?
The operative report should describe removal of the epileptogenic focus and document electrocorticography during the operation. It should also make clear that the procedure was not a lobectomy.
How are additional procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures performed in the same session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
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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