No office rate
Both codes concern cortical electrode placement. Choose 61533 for the craniotomy approach and 61531 for placement through burr holes.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
61533 Brain electrode placement Medicare reimbursement rates in Virginia
Reports craniotomy-based placement of cortical electrodes, commonly for invasive seizure monitoring when noninvasive testing has not localized an epilepsy focus. Compare 61533 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Virginia.
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 61533 in Virginia?
Virginia 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
$1409.64–$1667.13
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 61533: Craniotomy for cortical electrode placement
Reports craniotomy-based placement of cortical electrodes, commonly for invasive seizure monitoring when noninvasive testing has not localized an epilepsy focus.
A neurosurgeon opens the skull and raises a bone flap to place electrodes on the cerebral cortex, often using subdural grids or strips to record seizure activity. The electrodes support presurgical evaluation when a patient with drug-resistant epilepsy needs more precise localization of a seizure focus. This is an intracranial monitoring procedure, not the later removal of electrodes or resection of brain tissue.
Report 61533 for cortical electrode placement through a craniotomy; placement through burr holes is reported with 61531. The operative report should support the craniotomy approach and electrode placement. Medicare 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 others at 50%. No bilateral adjustment is made. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 61533
- 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 RVU20.92 · 46%
- Practice expense (office) RVU15.31 · 34%
- Malpractice RVU8.83 · 20%
12
Medicare services in 2024 · #6152 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.
61533 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Virginia, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
This code is for stereotactic intracranial electrode placement, a different approach from craniotomy-based cortical electrode placement.
No office rate
61535 reports removal of previously placed brain electrodes; 61533 reports their initial placement through a craniotomy.
Compare 61533 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
Dc + Md/Va Suburbs →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1667.13
Virginia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1409.64
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61533 billing questions
How is 61533 distinguished from 61531?
61533 describes cortical electrode placement through a craniotomy with a bone flap. Use 61531 when cortical electrodes are placed through burr holes.
Does 61533 include later electrode removal?
No. Electrode removal is a separate procedure, reported with 61535 when performed.
When is 61533 used instead of resecting an epilepsy focus?
Use 61533 when electrodes are placed for invasive monitoring to help localize seizure onset. Resection of an identified epileptogenic focus is a different surgical service.
What documentation supports 61533?
The operative report should describe the craniotomy approach and cortical electrode placement. Include the clinical purpose, such as invasive seizure monitoring, when documented.
How do multiple procedures and surgical assistance affect reporting?
When procedures are performed in the same session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment needs supporting documentation.
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.
6,79061526,,Removal of brain lesion,A,,52.73,22.42,NA,22.42,,15.53,90.68,90.68,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,1,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,79161530,,Removal of brain lesion,A,,44.42,24.63,NA,24.63,,18.76,87.81,87.81,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,1,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,79261531,,Implant brain electrodes,A,,16.00,14.29,NA,14.29,,6.74,37.03,37.03,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,79361533,,Implant brain electrodes,A,,20.92,15.31,NA,15.31,,8.83,45.06,45.06,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,79461534,,Removal of brain lesion,A,,22.43,16.90,NA,16.90,,9.47,48.80,48.80,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,79561535,,Remove brain electrodes,A,,12.82,12.47,NA,12.47,,5.40,30.69,30.69,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,79661536,,Removal of brain lesion,A,,36.78,21.94,NA,21.94,,15.53,74.25,74.25,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00