No office rate
Choose 69950 for vestibular nerve section through the middle cranial fossa. Choose 69915 when the documented route is transcanal.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
69950 Vestibular nerve section Medicare reimbursement rates in Washington
Reports surgical interruption of the vestibular nerve through a middle cranial fossa approach, typically to treat severe, persistent vertigo while preserving hearing. Compare 69950 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Washington.
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 69950 in Washington?
Washington 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
$1516.82–$1640.98
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.
Otology surgery
About 69950: Vestibular nerve section, middle fossa
Reports surgical interruption of the vestibular nerve through a middle cranial fossa approach, typically to treat severe, persistent vertigo while preserving hearing.
The surgeon reaches the vestibular portion of the eighth cranial nerve through the middle cranial fossa and interrupts its function to reduce vestibular signaling. Otologists, neurotologists, or surgeons working with a neurosurgical team may perform this operation for carefully selected patients with disabling vertigo that has not responded to less invasive treatment. The approach differs from nerve section performed through the ear canal and is intended to preserve cochlear function.
Report this code when the operative record supports vestibular nerve section by the middle cranial fossa route; the approach and nerve treated distinguish it from other inner-ear operations. It has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. For bilateral performance, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 69950
- 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
- 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 RVU26.94 · 60%
- Practice expense (office) RVU14.37 · 32%
- Malpractice RVU3.93 · 9%
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.
69950 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Washington, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
69905 removes the labyrinth through a transcanal approach; 69950 interrupts the vestibular nerve through the middle cranial fossa.
No office rate
69910 removes the labyrinth with mastoidectomy. It is not the nerve-section procedure reported with 69950.
Compare 69950 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
Rest Of Washington →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1516.82
Seattle (King Cnty) →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1640.98
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69950 billing questions
How do I distinguish this from 69915?
Both codes describe vestibular nerve section, but 69950 is for the middle cranial fossa approach. Use 69915 for the transcanal approach.
Is the middle cranial fossa approach part of this code?
Yes. The documented approach is a key distinction for selecting 69950; do not treat it as a separate approach code.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.
Can I report an assistant or co-surgeon?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted under the CMS facts for this code.
How is bilateral performance paid?
When the procedure is bilateral and reported with modifier 50, CMS pays it at 150%.
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.
7,66969915,,Incise inner ear nerve,A,,22.20,13.75,NA,13.75,,3.23,39.18,39.18,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,67069930,,Implant cochlear device,A,,17.29,11.90,NA,11.90,,2.54,31.73,31.73,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,67169949,,Unlisted px inner ear,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,YYY,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,67269950,,Incise inner ear nerve,A,,26.94,14.37,NA,14.37,,3.93,45.24,45.24,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,67369955,,Release facial nerve,A,,28.68,18.26,NA,18.26,,4.18,51.12,51.12,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,67469960,,Release inner ear canal,A,,28.68,16.02,NA,16.02,,4.18,48.88,48.88,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,67569970,,Remove inner ear lesion,A,,31.60,18.95,NA,18.95,,4.61,55.16,55.16,0,090,0.07,0.79,0.14,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00