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CPT code 61751: Brain biopsy, CT/MR-guided stereotactic2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports stereotactic sampling of an intracranial lesion using CT or MRI guidance, typically when tissue is needed to establish a brain lesion’s diagnosis.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities1.3K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,386.47 for 61751 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 61751

Brain biopsy, CT/MR-guided stereotactic

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
18.32
Total RVUs
41.51
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,386.47

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 61751 →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 61751 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 61751 covers

A neurosurgeon uses stereotactic planning and CT or MRI guidance to direct instruments through a cranial opening to an intracranial lesion and obtain tissue. The service is typically performed in an operating room for a suspected brain tumor or another lesion that requires pathologic diagnosis; the specimen is sent for examination. The operative report should identify the target, the stereotactic approach, the imaging guidance used, and the tissue obtained.

Select this code when the biopsy is performed with CT or MRI guidance; distinguish it from stereotactic biopsy without that imaging guidance. The code has a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. For multiple procedures in one session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment is barred by statutory restriction; 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 61751 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

61751 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,210.18
AlaskaUnavailable$1,610.58
ArizonaUnavailable$1,333.40
ArkansasUnavailable$1,188.79
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$1,448.28
Austin, TXUnavailable$1,388.38
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$1,347.21
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$1,494.98
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$1,321.65
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$1,330.13

61751 rates by state

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

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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
61751 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 61751 rate is calculated

Each of 61751’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 · 61751

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work18.32

18.32 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense15.49

15.49 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice7.70

7.70 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

41.5100

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,386.47

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 61751

61751 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 61751

Brain biopsy, CT/MR-guided stereotactic

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)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
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 · 61751

Brain biopsy, CT/MR-guided stereotactic

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

61751 without 51 · national facility

$1,386.47

Brain biopsy, CT/MR-guided stereotactic

61751-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$693.24

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

61751 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 61751

    Brain biopsy, CT/MR-guided stereotactic18.32 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 61750

    Brain biopsy, without CT/MR guidance19.33 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 61510

    Brain tumor excision, supratentorial, nonmeningioma30.06 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 61736

    Laser ablation, single trajectory, simple lesion18.58 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

61750Brain biopsyWithout CT/MR guidance
Both describe stereotactic intracranial lesion biopsy. Choose 61751 when CT or MRI guidance is used; 61750 is for the procedure without that guidance.
61510Brain tumor excisionSupratentorial, nonmeningioma
61751 reports stereotactic tissue sampling with CT or MRI guidance. Code 61510 is for open excision of a supratentorial brain tumor.
61736Laser ablationSingle trajectory, simple lesion
61751 obtains tissue for diagnosis. Code 61736 describes laser interstitial thermal treatment of an intracranial lesion.

Codes related to 61751

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

Codes related to 61751
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
61750Brain biopsy, without CT/MR guidanceStereotactic intracranial biopsy without CT or MRI guidance.No office rate
Used instead
61510Brain tumor excision, supratentorial, nonmeningiomaOpen supratentorial brain tumor excision rather than stereotactic biopsy in selected cases.No office rate
61736Laser ablation, single trajectory, simple lesionLaser interstitial thermal therapy treats an intracranial lesion rather than sampling it for diagnosis.No office rate

61751 billing questions

How does this differ from 61750?

Use 61751 for stereotactic intracranial biopsy performed with CT or MRI guidance. Code 61750 describes stereotactic biopsy without that imaging guidance.

What documentation supports 61751?

Document the intracranial target, stereotactic approach, use of CT or MRI to guide the biopsy, and tissue obtained.

Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral targets?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 is not suitable.

Is assistant-at-surgery payment available?

No. CMS lists a statutory restriction on assistant-at-surgery payment for 61751.

How are other procedures in the same session paid?

Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are paid at 50%.

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 61751PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,881 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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