CPT code 61140: Brain biopsy, burr-hole or trephine approach2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61140 in California.

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

What 61140 covers

A neurosurgeon makes a small cranial opening with a burr hole or trephine and removes tissue from the brain or an intracranial lesion for diagnosis. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room, often to obtain tissue from a radiographically identified mass or abnormal brain tissue when a pathologic diagnosis is needed. The specimen is submitted for examination.

Report 61140 when the documented operation is a biopsy through this access, rather than ventricular puncture or therapeutic drainage. The operative note should identify the target, approach, and tissue obtained; the use of a burr hole alone does not establish this code. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery 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 other procedures are paid at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; 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.

Where 61140 pays more and less in California

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

29 of 29 payment localities

How the 61140 rate is calculated

Each of 61140’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 61140

61140 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

61140 compared with similar codes

How to choose

61120Ventricular punctureBurr-hole access

Use 61140 for tissue sampling from brain or an intracranial lesion. Code 61120 describes ventricular puncture through a burr hole.

61150Intracranial drainageAbscess or cyst

61140 is diagnostic tissue sampling. Code 61150 describes drainage of a brain abscess or cyst.

61750Brain biopsyWithout CT/MR guidance

61140 describes biopsy through a burr hole or trephine; 61750 is for stereotactic biopsy, aspiration, or excision of an intracranial lesion.

61154Hematoma drainageExtradural or subdural

Use 61154 for burr-hole evacuation or drainage of a hematoma, not for biopsy of brain tissue or an intracranial lesion.

Codes related to 61140

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

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