No office rate
Both codes describe complex intracranial aneurysm repair; select 61698 for posterior-circulation anatomy and 61697 for anterior-circulation anatomy.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
61698 Aneurysm repair Medicare reimbursement rates in Pennsylvania
Open surgical repair of a complex aneurysm in the brain’s posterior circulation, such as the vertebrobasilar system, reported for the operative repair. Compare 61698 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Pennsylvania.
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 61698 in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania 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
$4225.14–$4644.44
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 61698: Complex posterior-circulation brain aneurysm repair
Open surgical repair of a complex aneurysm in the brain’s posterior circulation, such as the vertebrobasilar system, reported for the operative repair.
A neurosurgeon reports this code for operative repair of a complex intracranial aneurysm in the posterior circulation, including the vertebral and basilar arterial system. A basilar artery aneurysm is a representative site. The service is performed in an operating room, generally in a hospital, as part of an intracranial surgical procedure; it is distinct from catheter-based aneurysm treatment.
The operative report should support the aneurysm’s location in the posterior circulation, the complex nature of the repair, and the work performed. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 61698
- 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU67.89 · 52%
- Practice expense (office) RVU34.34 · 26%
- Malpractice RVU28.66 · 22%
31
Medicare services in 2024 · #5655 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.
61698 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Pennsylvania, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
61698 is open surgical repair. Use 61624 for a catheter-based permanent occlusion or embolization service when that is the treatment performed.
Compare 61698 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
Metropolitan Philadelphia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$4644.44
Rest Of Pennsylvania →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$4225.14
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61698 billing questions
How does 61698 differ from 61697?
61698 is for a complex aneurysm in the posterior circulation; 61697 is its anterior-circulation counterpart. The operative documentation should establish the aneurysm’s vascular location.
Can 61698 be used for endovascular aneurysm treatment?
No. It describes open operative repair. Catheter-based permanent occlusion or embolization of a central nervous system vessel may instead be reported with 61624 when that service is performed.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. The operative surgeon’s related routine follow-up during that period is included.
Can modifier 50 be appended for aneurysms on both sides?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
When may an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is 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.
6,86261690,,Intracranial vessel surgery,A,,30.56,20.12,NA,20.12,,12.90,63.58,63.58,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,86361692,,Intracranial vessel surgery,A,,53.23,28.09,NA,28.09,,22.47,103.79,103.79,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,86461697,,Brain aneurysm repr complx,A,,61.82,32.05,NA,32.05,,26.02,119.89,119.89,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,86561698,,Brain aneurysm repr complx,A,,67.89,34.34,NA,34.34,,28.66,130.89,130.89,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,86661700,,Brain aneurysm repr simple,A,,49.35,26.72,NA,26.72,,20.06,96.13,96.13,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,86761702,,Inner skull vessel surgery,A,,58.54,31.06,NA,31.06,,24.72,114.32,114.32,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,86861703,,Clamp neck artery,A,,18.33,14.40,NA,14.40,,7.72,40.45,40.45,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00