CPT code 61576: Transoral surgery, separate-incision odontoid resection2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $4,194.49 for 61576 nationally in a facility.

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

What 61576 covers

This code describes operative access through the mouth to treat a lesion at the skull base, brainstem, or upper cervical cord, with a separate incision required for odontoid resection. Neurosurgeons typically perform the intracranial or spinal portion, often with an otolaryngologist or another surgeon assisting with exposure. The case is generally performed in a hospital operating room for a lesion requiring biopsy, decompression, or excision in this deep midline region.

Select this code when the operative report supports the transoral route and the separate incision for odontoid resection; the less extensive transoral code 61575 is the key comparison. Document the lesion and site, work performed through the mouth, odontoid removal, and why the separate incision was used. Medicare assigns major surgery a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same 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. Team surgery is not permitted, and modifier 50 is inappropriate 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 61576 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

61576 rates by state

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

How the 61576 rate is calculated

Each of 61576’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 61576

61576 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

61576 compared with similar codes

How to choose

61575Transoral skull-base surgeryStandard transoral exposure

Both describe transoral access for lesions involving the skull base, brainstem, or upper cervical cord. 61576 is distinguished by the separate incision required for odontoid resection.

61597Skull-base approachTranscondylar route

61597 uses a transcondylar route. Choose between it and 61576 based on the operative approach actually used, not simply the lesion diagnosis.

61595Skull base approachTranstemporal route

61595 uses a transtemporal route rather than transoral access; the operative report's approach determines the applicable code.

Codes related to 61576

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