$3,940.11
Use 19296 for the specific expandable afterloading catheter placed on the date of partial mastectomy; 19298 describes interstitial breast radiation device placement.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
19298 Breast radiation catheter Medicare reimbursement rates in Vermont
Placement of interstitial tubes or catheters in the breast for radiation treatment, reported when a device is inserted to support breast radiotherapy. Compare 19298 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Vermont.
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 19298 in Vermont?
Vermont has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$837.64
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Vermont
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$255.66
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Vermont
One mapped payment locality.
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.
Breast surgery
About 19298: Breast interstitial radiation catheter placement
Placement of interstitial tubes or catheters in the breast for radiation treatment, reported when a device is inserted to support breast radiotherapy.
This service places interstitial tubes or catheters in breast tissue so radiation can be delivered to a treatment area. It is distinct from placing a device to localize a breast lesion for surgical excision. A surgeon or other qualified physician typically performs the insertion in a facility setting as part of a breast cancer treatment plan.
Report the code when the record supports placement of the breast radiation device, including the treated side and the insertion performed. Distinguish this service from the specific expandable afterloading catheter placements represented by 19296 and 19297. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. For bilateral services, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 19298
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU5.61 · 22%
- Practice expense (office) RVU19.44 · 76%
- Malpractice RVU0.44 · 2%
56
Medicare services in 2024 · #5278 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.
19298 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Vermont, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Use 19297 for the specific expandable afterloading catheter placed after partial mastectomy. Code 19298 is for interstitial breast radiation tubes or catheters.
$230.04
Code 19281 places a percutaneous device to localize a breast lesion for surgery; 19298 places a device for radiation treatment.
Compare 19298 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.
1 of 1 payment localities
Vermont →
Office / nonfacility
$837.64
Facility
$255.66
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 19298 in Vermont.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
1,684
- Code
- 19298
- Physician work
- 5.61
- Practice expense
- 19.44
- Malpractice
- 0.44
GPCI2026.csv
105
- Locality
- Vermont
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.990
- Malpractice
- 0.506
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 5.61 | × 1.000 | 5.6100 |
| Practice expense | 19.44 | × 0.990 | 19.2456 |
| Malpractice | 0.44 | × 0.506 | 0.2226 |
| Total RVUs | 25.0782 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Vermont$837.64
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.61 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 19.44 | 0.99 |
| Malpractice | 0.44 | 0.506 |
(5.61 × 1 + 19.44 × 0.99 + 0.44 × 0.506) × $33.4009 = $837.64
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.61 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 1.84 | 0.99 |
| Malpractice | 0.44 | 0.506 |
(5.61 × 1 + 1.84 × 0.99 + 0.44 × 0.506) × $33.4009 = $255.66
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
19298 billing questions
How does 19298 differ from 19296 and 19297?
19298 covers placement of interstitial breast radiation tubes or catheters. Codes 19296 and 19297 describe a specific expandable afterloading catheter placement following partial mastectomy, with the code choice distinguishing placement on the mastectomy date from placement afterward.
Is this a breast localization-device code?
No. Codes 19281–19288 concern percutaneous placement of a device to localize a breast lesion. Code 19298 concerns a device placed for radiation treatment.
Are same-day preoperative and postoperative services separately included?
No. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
How is bilateral placement reported?
Use modifier 50 for a bilateral procedure; CMS pays the bilateral service at 150%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when medical necessity is documented. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%.
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.
1,68119294,,Prepj tum cav iort prtl mast,A,,2.93,0.74,NA,0.74,,0.76,4.43,4.43,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,68219296,,Place po breast cath for rad,A,,3.54,115.12,,1.36,,0.90,119.56,5.80,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,68319297,,Place breast cath for rad,A,,1.68,0.40,NA,0.40,,0.41,2.49,2.49,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,68419298,,Place breast rad tube/caths,A,,5.61,19.44,,1.84,,0.44,25.49,7.89,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,68519300,,Mastectomy for gynecomastia,A,,5.18,12.69,,6.36,,1.21,19.08,12.75,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,68619301,,Partial mastectomy,A,,9.88,6.52,NA,6.52,,2.54,18.94,18.94,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,68719302,,P-mastectomy w/ln removal,A,,13.64,8.82,NA,8.82,,3.51,25.97,25.97,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
10204412,TX,18,HOUSTON,1.008,0.993,1.376
10304412,TX,99,REST OF TEXAS,1.000,0.949,0.903
10403502,UT,09,UTAH,1.000,0.940,0.898
10514512,VT,50,VERMONT,1.000,0.990,0.506
10611302,VA,00,VIRGINIA,1.000,0.983,0.706
10709202,VI,50,VIRGIN ISLANDS,1.000,1.011,0.985
10802402,WA,02,SEATTLE (KING CNTY),1.050,1.227,0.817