CPT code 61516: Cyst excision, supratentorial2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Reports neurosurgical removal of a cyst above the tentorium using cranial access, when the operative target and procedure match this service.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61516 in Florida.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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On this page 9 sections
What 61516 covers
A neurosurgeon uses a cranial opening, created by trephination or craniectomy, to reach and excise a cyst located in the supratentorial compartment. The service is generally performed in an operating room under anesthesia, most often in a hospital facility. The code is specific to cyst excision; the diagnosis and operative findings should support a cyst rather than a tumor, meningioma, or abscess.
Select the code from the documented target and its location, not simply from the fact that a craniotomy was performed. The operative report should identify the cyst, establish its supratentorial location, and describe the excision and approach. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care through 90 days. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 61516 pays more and less in Florida
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Unavailable | $2,121.76 |
| Miami, FL | Unavailable | $2,398.99 |
| Rest of Florida | Unavailable | $1,977.63 |
How the 61516 rate is calculated
Each of 61516’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 · 61516
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work25.92
25.92 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense17.81
17.81 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice10.82
10.82 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
54.5500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,822.02
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61516
61516 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 61516
Cyst excision, supratentorial
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.11/0.76/0.13 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 61516
Cyst excision, supratentorial
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
61516 without 51 · national facility
$1,822.02
Cyst excision, supratentorial
61516-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$911.01
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%).
61516 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 61510Brain tumor excisionSupratentorial, nonmeningioma
- 61510 is for excision of a supratentorial brain tumor. Choose 61516 when the documented target is a cyst.
- 61512Meningioma excisionSupratentorial
- 61512 identifies excision of a supratentorial meningioma; 61516 identifies excision of a cyst.
- 61514Brain abscess surgerySupratentorial
- 61514 is for excision of a supratentorial brain abscess. A cyst, rather than an abscess, supports 61516.
61516 billing questions
How is this distinguished from 61510, 61512, or 61514?
Use 61516 when the operative target is a supratentorial cyst. The neighboring codes identify excision of a brain tumor, meningioma, or brain abscess, respectively.
Can the cranial opening be reported separately?
The cranial access is part of the cyst-excision service described by this code. Do not separately report that access as an independent procedure in the same operation.
What documentation supports 61516?
Document the cyst as the operative target, its supratentorial location, and the excision performed. The operative report should make clear that the service was not removal of a tumor, meningioma, or abscess.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery are included in the global period.
Can modifier 50 be used, and may an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures in that session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
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
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