CPT code 20661: Cranial halo, four-pin application2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Montana

Reports application of a four-pin cranial halo to stabilize the cervical spine, such as for selected fractures or instability requiring rigid immobilization.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026One payment locality92 Medicare services in 2024

In Montana, Medicare pays $553.34 for 20661 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Not available in this settingOffice (non-facility)
$553.34Hospital or facility

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 20661 nationwide

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

We’ll open 20661 for the payment locality that covers the ZIP.

On this page 11 sections
  1. Rate in Montana
  2. What 20661 covers
  3. Compared with other areas
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Related codes
  8. Rate history
  9. Where it applies
  10. Billing questions
  11. Sources

What 20661 covers

An orthopedic or neurosurgical provider applies a rigid ring secured to the skull with four pins to support cervical spine immobilization. The halo may be connected to a vest or another support as part of treatment for conditions such as a cervical fracture or instability. This service is generally performed in a hospital or other procedural setting when rigid external stabilization is needed.

Select this code for the four-pin cranial halo application; the six-or-more-pin application is reported with 20664. The application code includes removal of the halo. The record should support the clinical need for rigid stabilization and the pin configuration used. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.

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.

How Montana compares for 20661

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 20661 runs from $479.35 in Arkansas to $687.93 in San Benito County, CA. Montana pays $553.34. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

20661 in Montana vs other payment areas
  1. Montana · this page$553.34
  2. Los Angeles, CA · California$599.89+$46.55
  3. Washington, DC area · District of Columbia$626.90+$73.56
  4. Miami, FL · Florida$656.59+$103.25
  5. Chicago, IL · Illinois$632.40+$79.06
  6. Manhattan, NY · New York$651.25+$97.91
  7. Alaska · Alaska$633.75+$80.41

Other areas in Montana first, then benchmark localities. Bars start at $0.

Every other payment area

20661 in every other Medicare payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaAlabama—$487.52
ArkansasArkansas—$479.35
ArizonaArizona—$534.96
Bakersfield, CACalifornia—$564.76
Chico, CACalifornia—$560.13
El Centro, CACalifornia—$560.42
Fresno, CACalifornia—$560.13
Hanford, CACalifornia—$560.13

20661 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
20661 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

See 20661 in every payment locality

How the 20661 rate is calculated

Each of 20661’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

How the rate is built · 20661

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work5.13

5.13 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense9.68

9.68 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.76

1.76 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

16.5700

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$553.45

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

The exact Montana inputs and CMS source lines

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

1,777

Code
20661
Physician work
5.13
Practice expense
9.68
Malpractice
1.76

GPCI2026.csv

71

Locality
Montana
Physician work
1.000
Practice expense
1.000
Malpractice
0.998
Facility calculation for 20661 in Montana
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work5.13× 1.0005.1300
Practice expense9.68× 1.0009.6800
Malpractice1.76× 0.9981.7565
Total RVUs16.5665
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Facility rate, Montana$553.34

Facility: (5.13 × 1 + 9.68 × 1 + 1.76 × 0.998) × $33.4009 = $553.34

Open 20661 in the RVU calculator

Payment rules and modifiers for 20661

20661 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 20661

Cranial halo, four-pin application

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.69/0.21Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 20661

Cranial halo, four-pin application

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

20661 without 51 · national facility

$553.45

Cranial halo, four-pin application

20661-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$276.73

When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).

When to use modifier 51

How 20661 has changed in Montana

20661 · Office / nonfacility

Rate unavailable

Effective 2026-10-01

A rate is unavailable in one of these releases, so a change cannot be calculated.

Base rate by release · bars start at $0 · select a bar to compare

One bar per available release, ordered by effective date. Missing rates remain gaps. These comparisons hold the code, setting and locality identifiers constant; they do not isolate which policy or input caused a change.

What changed, release by release
Rates in every CMS release
Effective fromOfficeFacilityCMS release
2026-10-01Not available in this setting$553.34RVU26D
2026-07-01Not available in this setting$553.34RVU26C
2026-04-01Not available in this setting$553.34RVU26B
2026-01-01Not available in this setting$553.34RVU26A
2025-10-01Not available in this setting$513.68RVU25D
2025-07-01Not available in this setting$513.68RVU25C
2025-04-01Not available in this setting$513.68RVU25B
2025-01-01Not available in this setting$513.68RVU25A
2024-10-01Not available in this setting$533.24RVU24D
2024-07-01Not available in this setting$533.24RVU24C
2024-04-01Not available in this setting$533.24RVU24B
2024-03-09Not available in this setting$533.24RVU24AR
2024-01-01Not available in this setting$524.53RVU24A
2023-10-01Not available in this setting$528.65RVU23D
2023-07-01Not available in this setting$528.65RVU23C
2023-04-01Not available in this setting$528.65RVU23B
2023-01-01Not available in this setting$528.65RVU23A
2022-10-01Not available in this setting$523.97RVU22D
2022-07-01Not available in this setting$523.97RVU22C
2022-04-01Not available in this setting$523.97RVU22B
2022-01-01Not available in this setting$523.97RVU22A
2021-10-01Not available in this setting$522.42RVU21D
2021-07-01Not available in this setting$522.42RVU21C
2021-04-01Not available in this setting$522.42RVU21B
2021-01-01Not available in this setting$522.42RVU21A
2020-10-01Not available in this setting$538.88RVU20D
2020-07-01Not available in this setting$538.88RVU20C
2020-04-01Not available in this setting$538.88RVU20B
2020-01-01Not available in this setting$538.88RVU20A
2019-10-01Not available in this setting$564.81RVU19D
2019-07-01Not available in this setting$564.81RVU19C
2019-04-01Not available in this setting$564.81RVU19B
2019-01-01Not available in this setting$564.81RVU19A
2018-10-01Not available in this setting$562.98RVU18D
2018-07-01Not available in this setting$562.98RVU18C
2018-04-01Not available in this setting$562.98RVU18B
2018-01-01Not available in this setting$562.98RVU18AR1
2017-10-01Not available in this setting$550.82RVU17D
2017-07-01Not available in this setting$550.82RVU17C
2017-04-01Not available in this setting$550.82RVU17B
2017-01-01Not available in this setting$550.82RVU17A
2016-10-01Not available in this setting$537.52RVU16D
2016-07-01Not available in this setting$537.52RVU16C
2016-04-01Not available in this setting$537.52RVU16B
2016-01-01Not available in this setting$537.52RVU16A
2015-10-01Not available in this setting$541.58RVU15D
2015-07-01Not available in this setting$541.58RVU15C
2015-04-01Not available in this setting$538.88RVU15B
2015-01-01Not available in this setting$538.88RVU15A
2014-10-01Not available in this setting$522.68RVU14D
2014-07-01Not available in this setting$522.68RVU14C
2014-04-01Not available in this setting$522.68RVU14B
2014-01-01Not available in this setting$522.68RVU14A
2013-10-01Not available in this setting$523.27RVU13D
2013-07-01Not available in this setting$523.27RVU13C
2013-04-01Not available in this setting$523.27RVU13B
2013-01-01Not available in this setting$523.27RVU13AR

Price 20661 for an earlier date of service

Where the Montana rate applies

Montana is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 497 cities and communities in Montana. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

  • Absarokee
  • Acton
  • Alberton
  • Alder
  • Alzada
  • Amsterdam
  • Anaconda-Deer Lodge County
  • Antelope

Browse all communities in Montana

20661 billing questions

When should 20661 be selected instead of 20664?

Use 20661 for application of a four-pin cranial halo. Code 20664 describes the six-or-more-pin cranial halo application.

Is halo removal separately reported after 20661?

Removal is included in the application service reported with 20661. Code 20665 is for removal of tongs or a halo previously applied by another physician.

Can modifier 50 be used for a halo applied on both sides?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; the cranial halo application is not reported as a bilateral service.

What documentation supports reporting 20661?

Document the clinical reason for rigid cranial stabilization, the application performed, and the four-pin configuration. The record should distinguish this service from a halo using six or more pins.

How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative reporting?

The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period. Other procedures performed in the same session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure payment reduction.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be billed for this procedure?

Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted for 20661. CMS does not permit co-surgeon or team-surgery billing for this code.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 20661PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,777 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for MontanaGPCI2026.csv, line 71 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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