No office rate
This code represents extensive canal surgery. Choose 69140 when the documented operation fits its less extensive lesion-excision scope.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
69150 Ear canal surgery Medicare reimbursement rates in Pennsylvania
Reports extensive surgical removal of external ear canal tissue, typically for a substantial lesion or tumor requiring more than a limited canal excision. Compare 69150 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 69150 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
$864.54–$937.32
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.
Otolaryngology surgery
About 69150: Extensive external ear canal excision
Reports extensive surgical removal of external ear canal tissue, typically for a substantial lesion or tumor requiring more than a limited canal excision.
An otolaryngologist or head and neck surgeon performs this extensive operation to remove substantial tissue from the external auditory canal, commonly for a tumor or other significant canal lesion. The work is broader than taking a biopsy or removing a small, localized lesion. It may involve operative removal of diseased canal tissue and reconstruction as part of the procedure. These cases are more often performed in a facility setting than in an office.
Select this service based on the documented extent of the canal operation, not simply the diagnosis or lesion name. The operative report should describe the tissue and canal involved, the extent of excision, and any reconstruction performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures 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. Assistant-at-surgery payment is statutorily restricted; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 69150
- 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU13.27 · 49%
- Practice expense (office) RVU11.62 · 43%
- Malpractice RVU2.06 · 8%
201
Medicare services in 2024 · #4326 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.
69150 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Pennsylvania, from the same CMS release.
$379.18–$421.38
Both involve external auditory canal lesion excision, but this code is for an extensive operation. Base the choice on the documented operative scope and approach.
No office rate
Use 69155 when the extensive ear operation also includes neck surgery; this code is for the canal operation without that added neck component.
$134.53–$149.78
69105 represents a diagnostic canal biopsy. This code represents extensive surgical removal, not tissue sampling alone.
Compare 69150 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
$937.32
Rest Of Pennsylvania →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$864.54
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69150 billing questions
When is this code appropriate instead of a limited ear canal excision?
Use it when the surgeon documents an extensive canal operation rather than removal of a small, localized lesion. The operative extent, not the diagnosis alone, supports the selection.
How does this differ from an ear canal biopsy?
A biopsy obtains tissue for diagnosis; this service describes extensive operative removal of canal tissue. Do not select the extensive excision code for a diagnostic sampling alone.
Can modifier 50 be reported for bilateral work?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inapplicable and modifier 50 as inappropriate for this code.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures performed in that session are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction.
Does the global period include related postoperative visits?
Yes. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be billed?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is statutorily restricted. Co-surgeons are paid only with 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.
7,58769120,,Removal of external ear,A,,4.04,6.19,NA,6.19,,0.57,10.80,10.80,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,58869140,,Remove ear canal lesion(s),A,,7.94,16.13,NA,16.13,,1.16,25.23,25.23,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,58969145,,Remove ear canal lesion(s),A,,2.63,9.10,,4.08,,0.39,12.12,7.10,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,59069150,,Extensive ear canal surgery,A,,13.27,11.62,NA,11.62,,2.06,26.95,26.95,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,59169155,,Extensive ear/neck surgery,A,,22.77,16.76,NA,16.76,,3.32,42.85,42.85,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,59269200,,Clear outer ear canal,A,,0.75,1.59,,0.39,,0.11,2.45,1.25,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,59369205,,Clear outer ear canal,A,,1.18,1.27,NA,1.27,,0.17,2.62,2.62,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00