Summary & Overview
CPT 95962: Intracranial Electrocorticography with Stimulation Mapping
CPT code 95962 denotes an add-on, hourly attendance for invasive electrocorticographic mapping with electrical stimulation to localize seizure onset and map functional cortex during presurgical or intraoperative evaluation. This procedure is clinically significant nationwide because it directly informs neurosurgical decision-making for patients with medically refractory epilepsy and other focal seizure disorders, helping to balance seizure control with preservation of critical brain functions.
Key payers included in this analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The review covers payer coverage patterns, typical sites of service, clinical indications, and common billing considerations tied to add-on hourly mapping for invasive intracranial monitoring.
Readers will gain a concise understanding of what CPT code 95962 represents, how it fits into the care pathway for epilepsy surgery, and which clinical settings commonly perform the service. The publication highlights benchmarking and policy-relevant points such as payer inclusion, where available, and outlines the clinical context that influences utilization and billing. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 95962 is an add–on procedure for invasive electrocorticography with electrical stimulation used to map cortical or subcortical brain regions by placing electrodes on or into the brain and electrically stimulating tissue to provoke or localize seizures during or before neurosurgical procedures. This service supports surgical planning by identifying the seizure onset zone and eloquent cortex to guide resection.
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Service type: Invasive intracranial EEG mapping with electrical stimulation; add–on hourly attendance for cortical/subcortical mapping
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Typical site of service: Hospital inpatient or outpatient surgical setting, operating room, or specialized epilepsy monitoring unit where invasive electrode placement and stimulated mapping are performed
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 28-year-old patient with medically refractory focal epilepsy is admitted for intracranial EEG monitoring to localize the seizure focus prior to resective epilepsy surgery. The neurosurgical and epilepsy teams place subdural grid and depth electrodes in the operating room under general anesthesia. Over several days the patient undergoes continuous monitoring; when spontaneous seizures are insufficient for localization or when functional mapping is required, the epileptologist performs electrical stimulation of cortical and/or subcortical electrodes in the monitored area to provoke seizures and to map seizure onset zones.
The add-on procedure 95962 is billed for each additional hour of direct physician attendance when prolonged cortical stimulation is performed to provoke and localize seizures during invasive monitoring or intraoperative mapping. Typical workflow includes electrode placement (operative CPT), postoperative EEG monitoring, planned cortical stimulation sessions for seizure provocation and mapping, documentation of stimulation parameters and clinical/EEG responses, and multidisciplinary case review to plan definitive resection. Typical site of service is an operating room for electrode placement or an inpatient epilepsy monitoring unit/neurosurgical step-down unit for stimulation sessions.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
59 | Distinct procedural service |