No office rate
69650 describes stapes mobilization. Choose 69660 when the surgeon performs primary stapes surgery to restore sound transmission rather than mobilizing the stapes.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
69660 Stapes surgery Medicare reimbursement rates in Vermont
Reports primary stapes surgery to improve sound transmission when fixation, commonly from otosclerosis, causes conductive hearing loss. Compare 69660 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 69660 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
No supported rate
Facility setting
$786.91
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.
Otologic surgery
About 69660: Stapes surgery for conductive hearing loss
Reports primary stapes surgery to improve sound transmission when fixation, commonly from otosclerosis, causes conductive hearing loss.
An otolaryngologist performs this middle-ear operation to address a fixed stapes that is limiting sound transmission, often in a patient with conductive hearing loss from otosclerosis. The surgeon works through the ear canal, removes or creates an opening in the stapes footplate, and restores the sound-conducting pathway, commonly using a prosthesis. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room.
Report this code for the primary stapes operation, rather than a revision procedure or a case requiring footplate drill-out. The operative report should identify the stapes work performed, the condition treated, and whether the ossicular pathway was restored. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 69660
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- 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 RVU11.73 · 48%
- Practice expense (office) RVU11.07 · 45%
- Malpractice RVU1.72 · 7%
668
Medicare services in 2024 · #3303 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.
69660 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Vermont, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
69661 applies when the stapes procedure includes footplate drill-out; 69660 is the primary stapes procedure without that distinction.
No office rate
69662 is for revision of prior stapes surgery. 69660 is for the primary operation.
No office rate
69631 addresses repair involving the tympanic membrane and middle-ear structures. 69660 targets the stapes as the cause of impaired sound transmission.
Compare 69660 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
Unavailable
Facility
$786.91
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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 69660 in Vermont.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
7,638
- Code
- 69660
- Physician work
- 11.73
- Practice expense
- 11.07
- Malpractice
- 1.72
GPCI2026.csv
105
- Locality
- Vermont
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.990
- Malpractice
- 0.506
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 11.73 | × 1.000 | 11.7300 |
| Practice expense | 11.07 | × 0.990 | 10.9593 |
| Malpractice | 1.72 | × 0.506 | 0.8703 |
| Total RVUs | 23.5596 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Vermont$786.91
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 11.73 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 11.07 | 0.99 |
| Malpractice | 1.72 | 0.506 |
(11.73 × 1 + 11.07 × 0.99 + 1.72 × 0.506) × $33.4009 = $786.91
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.
69660 billing questions
How does this differ from 69661?
Use 69660 for primary stapes surgery without footplate drill-out. 69661 describes the distinct procedure involving drill-out of the footplate.
When is 69662 the better choice?
69662 is for revision stapes surgery. Use 69660 for the primary operation, not a reoperation on prior stapes surgery.
Can the prosthesis be reported separately?
The prosthesis is part of the stapes operation described by this code; do not separately report it as another physician procedure.
How is bilateral surgery reported?
Report bilateral performance with modifier 50. CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be paid?
CMS applies a statutory restriction to assistant-at-surgery payment for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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.
7,63569645,,Revise middle ear & mastoid,A,,16.29,21.73,NA,21.73,,2.42,40.44,40.44,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,63669646,,Revise middle ear & mastoid,A,,17.91,22.21,NA,22.21,,2.73,42.85,42.85,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,63769650,,Stapes mobilization,A,,9.56,10.53,NA,10.53,,1.39,21.48,21.48,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,63869660,,Revise middle ear bone,A,,11.73,11.07,NA,11.07,,1.72,24.52,24.52,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,63969661,,Revise middle ear bone,A,,15.52,14.09,NA,14.09,,2.26,31.87,31.87,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,64069662,,Revise middle ear bone,A,,15.21,13.02,NA,13.02,,2.32,30.55,30.55,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,64169666,,Repair middle ear structures,A,,9.64,10.55,NA,10.55,,1.40,21.59,21.59,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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