CPT code 21182: Cranial cranioplasty, multiple autografts, small defect2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Washington, DC area

In Washington, DC area, Medicare pays $2,033.82 for 21182 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 21182 nationwide

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

What 21182 covers

This service rebuilds a cranial bone defect with multiple autografts, including harvesting the grafts. It is typically performed by a neurosurgeon or craniofacial plastic surgeon in an operating room for a patient who needs structural reconstruction after a defect or prior cranial surgery. The code represents the smallest defect-area tier in the 21182–21184 series; the operative record should support the defect’s total area and the use of multiple autografts.

Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this anatomy and descriptor.

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 Washington, DC area compares for 21182

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 21182 runs from $1,670.19 in Arkansas to $2,329.57 in Alaska. Washington, DC area pays $2,033.82. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

21182 rates by state

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

See 21182 in every payment locality

How the 21182 rate is calculated

Each of 21182’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 21182

21182 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

Codes related to 21182

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

How 21182 has changed in Washington, DC area

Price 21182 for an earlier date of service

Where the Washington, DC area rate applies

Washington, DC area is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 1 cities and communities in District of Columbia. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Washington

Browse all communities in District of Columbia

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates