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CPT code 61575: Transoral skull-base surgery, standard transoral exposure2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports transoral surgery to biopsy, decompress, or remove a lesion involving the skull base, brainstem, or upper spinal cord.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities19 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $2,412.88 for 61575 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 61575

Transoral skull-base surgery, standard transoral exposure

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
35.65
Total RVUs
72.24
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$2,412.88

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 61575 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 61575 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 61575 covers

This code covers an operation performed through the mouth to reach a lesion at the skull base, brainstem, or upper spinal cord for biopsy, decompression, or removal. Neurosurgeons may perform the intracranial or spinal portion, often with an otolaryngologist or head and neck surgeon assisting with exposure. Typical cases involve a lesion near the clivus or ventral craniovertebral junction when the operative plan uses an oral corridor.

Report the code when the documented route and treatment match this transoral service; the operative report should identify the target, the purpose of the procedure, and the exposure used. The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted. A bilateral adjustment is not appropriate for this code.

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 61575 pays more and less

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

109 of 109 payment localities

61575 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$2,104.78
AlaskaUnavailable$2,829.31
ArizonaUnavailable$2,318.19
ArkansasUnavailable$2,067.64
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$2,529.00
Austin, TXUnavailable$2,399.68
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$2,308.02
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$2,603.59
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$2,312.44
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$2,305.34

61575 rates by state

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

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Explore a state

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
61575 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

How the 61575 rate is calculated

Each of 61575’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 · 61575

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work35.65

35.65 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense21.54

21.54 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice15.05

15.05 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

72.2400

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$2,412.88

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 61575

61575 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 61575

Transoral skull-base surgery, standard transoral exposure

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)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.11/0.76/0.13Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 61575

Transoral skull-base surgery, standard transoral exposure

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

61575 without 51 · national facility

$2,412.88

Transoral skull-base surgery, standard transoral exposure

61575-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$1,206.44

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

61575 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 61575

    Transoral skull-base surgery, standard transoral exposure35.65 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 61576

    Transoral surgery, separate-incision odontoid resection53.93 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 61580

    Craniofacial approach, extradural anterior fossa33.65 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 61590

    Skull base approach, infratemporal, extradural45.86 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

61576Transoral surgerySeparate-incision odontoid resection
Both involve transoral access to a skull-base, brainstem, or upper spinal cord lesion. 61576 is distinguished by requiring a tongue and/or mandible split.
61580Craniofacial approachExtradural anterior fossa
61575 uses an oral corridor for the target lesion. 61580 describes a craniofacial route to the anterior cranial fossa.
61590Skull base approachInfratemporal, extradural
61590 uses an infratemporal approach to the skull base; 61575 is selected for the transoral route.

Codes related to 61575

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

Codes related to 61575
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
61576Transoral surgery, separate-incision odontoid resectionRelated transoral procedure distinguished by the need to split the tongue and/or mandible.No office rate
Used instead
61580Craniofacial approach, extradural anterior fossaUses a craniofacial route to reach the anterior cranial fossa.No office rate
61581Craniofacial approach, anterior cranial fossaUses a craniofacial route for anterior cranial fossa work involving the dura.No office rate
61590Skull base approach, infratemporal, extraduralUses an infratemporal corridor rather than the transoral route.No office rate
61597Skull-base approach, transcondylar routeUses a transcondylar corridor to reach the skull base.No office rate

61575 billing questions

How is 61575 distinguished from 61576?

61575 represents the standard transoral exposure. Use 61576 when the operation requires splitting the tongue and/or mandible.

What documentation supports reporting 61575?

Document the lesion's location, the transoral route, and whether the service involved biopsy, decompression, or excision. The operative report should make clear that the work addressed the skull base, brainstem, or upper spinal cord.

Are related postoperative visits separately reported?

Related postoperative care during the 90-day global period is included, as is the day-before preoperative visit.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

How are other procedures in the same session paid?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. A bilateral adjustment is not appropriate for 61575.

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 61575PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,819 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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