No office rate
61736 is for one simple lesion treated through one trajectory. 61737 is selected for multiple trajectories or multiple or complex lesions.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
61736 Laser ablation Medicare reimbursement rates in Oregon
Reports MRI-guided intracranial laser thermal ablation of one simple lesion reached through a single trajectory, typically for selected epilepsy or tumor cases. Compare 61736 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Oregon.
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 61736 in Oregon?
Oregon 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
$1062.73–$1113.18
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.
Neurosurgery
About 61736: Intracranial laser ablation, single trajectory
Reports MRI-guided intracranial laser thermal ablation of one simple lesion reached through a single trajectory, typically for selected epilepsy or tumor cases.
Code 61736 represents intracranial laser interstitial thermal therapy for one simple lesion reached along a single trajectory. A neurosurgeon places a laser probe stereotactically, when needed, and uses MRI guidance and thermometry to heat and ablate the target tissue. It is used in selected cases such as focal epilepsy or an intracranial tumor when LITT is the chosen treatment, typically in a hospital operating room with MRI-capable equipment.
Choose the code based on the documented lesion characteristics and trajectory, not simply the diagnosis: multiple trajectories or multiple or complex lesions point to 61737. Record the target, lesion details, number of trajectories, probe placement, and MRI-guided treatment. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. An assistant at surgery is not paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 61736
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
- 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 RVU18.58 · 54%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.75 · 23%
- Malpractice RVU7.85 · 23%
230
Medicare services in 2024 · #4202 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.
61736 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Oregon, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
61796 describes stereotactic radiosurgery for a simple cranial lesion; 61736 describes laser thermal ablation guided by MRI.
No office rate
61798 is stereotactic radiosurgery for a complex cranial lesion. Choose 61736 for the specified single-trajectory laser treatment, not radiosurgery.
No office rate
61750 is for stereotactic intracranial biopsy or aspiration, not thermal ablation of a lesion.
Compare 61736 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
Portland →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1113.18
Rest Of Oregon →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1062.73
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61736 billing questions
When should 61737 be used instead?
Use 61737 when the treatment involves multiple trajectories or multiple or complex lesions. Code 61736 describes one simple lesion treated along a single trajectory.
Is MRI guidance included in 61736?
Yes. The code accounts for MRI guidance used during the intracranial laser treatment, including MRI monitoring of the thermal ablation.
Should modifier 50 be appended for bilateral treatment?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; do not use modifier 50 to report bilateral treatment.
Can an assistant surgeon be paid for this procedure?
No. CMS lists a statutory restriction on assistant-at-surgery payment for 61736.
What documentation supports reporting 61736?
Document the lesion treated, why it fits the simple-lesion selection, the single trajectory, probe placement when performed, and MRI-guided ablation.
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.
6,87561715,TC,Mrgfus strtctc ablt trgt icr,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,NA,0.00,0.00,0.00,1,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,03,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,87661720,,Incise skull/brain surgery,A,,17.18,13.38,NA,13.38,,7.25,37.81,37.81,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,87761735,,Incise skull/brain surgery,A,,21.79,16.06,NA,16.06,,9.19,47.04,47.04,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,87861736,,Litt icr 1 traj 1 smpl les,A,,18.58,7.75,NA,7.75,,7.85,34.18,34.18,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,87961737,,Litt icr mlt trj mlt/cplx ls,A,,22.10,8.99,NA,8.99,,9.33,40.42,40.42,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,88061750,,Incise skull/brain biopsy,A,,19.33,14.03,NA,14.03,,8.12,41.48,41.48,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,88161751,,Brain biopsy w/ct/mr guide,A,,18.32,15.49,NA,15.49,,7.70,41.51,41.51,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00