Billing code 61537: Brain resectionMedicare rate & RVUs in Utah
Reports surgical removal of a cerebral lobe outside the temporal lobe for seizure treatment when intraoperative electrocorticography guides the resection.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61537 in Utah.
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 61537 covers
A neurosurgeon performs a craniotomy and removes a cerebral lobe other than the temporal lobe, using electrocorticography to record electrical activity directly from the brain during surgery. The service is most often part of epilepsy surgery for a patient with focal seizures, with intraoperative recordings helping identify the tissue involved. It is typically performed in an operating room in a hospital or other surgical facility.
Choose this code when the operation is an extratemporal lobectomy and electrocorticography is performed; a focal excision or a temporal-lobe resection is a different service. The operative report should identify the resected lobe and document the intraoperative electrocorticography. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires 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.
61537 in Utah
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | Unavailable | $2,263.96 |
How the 61537 rate is calculated
Each of 61537’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 · 61537
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 35.54Practice expense 19.96Malpractice 15.01
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61537
61537 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 61537
Brain resection
| 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 · 61537
Brain resection
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
61537 without 51 · national facility
$2,355.10
Brain resection
61537-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,177.55
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%).
61537 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
61537 vs 61536 vs 61534 vs 61539: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 61536Temporal lobectomy
- Both are for lobectomy outside the temporal lobe. Choose this code when intraoperative electrocorticography is performed; choose 61536 when it is not.
- 61534Epilepsy surgery
- Both include intraoperative electrocorticography, but 61534 is for temporal-lobe lobectomy. This code is for a different cerebral lobe.
- 61539Epilepsy surgery
- Code 61539 describes excision of an epileptogenic focus with electrocorticography. This code is for a lobectomy outside the temporal lobe with electrocorticography.
61537 billing questions
How does this differ from code 61536?
Both describe lobectomy outside the temporal lobe, but this code includes intraoperative electrocorticography. Code 61536 is the corresponding option without it.
Can this code be used for temporal-lobe resection?
No. It is for a lobectomy outside the temporal lobe; temporal-lobe cases are distinguished by codes 61533 and 61534, depending on electrocorticography.
When is a focal excision code more appropriate?
Use the applicable epileptogenic-focus excision code when the surgeon removes a localized seizure focus rather than performing a lobectomy. Codes 61538 and 61539 distinguish whether electrocorticography is used.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should establish that a lobe other than the temporal lobe was removed and describe the intraoperative electrocorticography.
How are other same-session procedures paid?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures in the session are paid at 50%. The surgery has a 90-day global period.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. 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 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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