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CPT code 62100: Brain fluid leak repair, craniotomy-based dural repair2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports operative repair of an intracranial cerebrospinal fluid leak when a neurosurgeon closes the responsible dural defect through a cranial approach.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities268 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,456.28 for 62100 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 62100

Brain fluid leak repair, craniotomy-based dural repair

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
22.94
Total RVUs
43.60
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,456.28

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 62100 →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 62100 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 62100 covers

A neurosurgeon uses a cranial opening to reach and repair a dural defect responsible for cerebrospinal fluid leakage. The service may be needed for a persistent leak after cranial trauma or prior surgery, or when an intracranial defect is associated with an encephalocele. These repairs are typically performed in a hospital operating room. The operative report should establish the leak and describe the defect, cranial approach, and repair performed.

Select this code when the operation is directed at closing the cerebrospinal fluid leak, rather than repairing a skull defect alone or treating a separate skull-base encephalocele procedure. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. An assistant at surgery may be paid; 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 62100 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

62100 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,293.34
AlaskaUnavailable$1,756.68
ArizonaUnavailable$1,406.84
ArkansasUnavailable$1,273.61
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$1,515.53
Austin, TXUnavailable$1,455.15
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$1,416.23
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$1,559.61
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$1,398.89
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$1,403.83

62100 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
62100 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 62100 rate is calculated

Each of 62100’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 · 62100

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work22.94

22.94 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense13.23

13.23 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice7.43

7.43 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

43.6000

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,456.28

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 62100

62100 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 62100

Brain fluid leak repair, craniotomy-based dural repair

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 · 62100

Brain fluid leak repair, craniotomy-based dural repair

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

62100 without 51 · national facility

$1,456.28

Brain fluid leak repair, craniotomy-based dural repair

62100-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$728.14

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

62100 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 62100

    Brain fluid leak repair, craniotomy-based dural repair22.94 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 62120

    Encephalocele repair, skull base, extradural23.98 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 62121

    Skull-base repair, encephalocele repair22.45 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 62140

    Cranioplasty, defect under 5 cm14.19 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 62141

    Cranioplasty, defect over 5 cm15.67 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

62120Encephalocele repairSkull base, extradural
62120 is for skull-base encephalocele repair by an extradural approach. 62100 is selected when the operative target is closure of a cerebrospinal fluid leak.
62121Skull-base repairEncephalocele repair
62121 describes skull-base encephalocele repair by an intradural approach; 62100 describes operative repair of a cerebrospinal fluid leak.
62140CranioplastyDefect under 5 cm
62140 is cranioplasty for a skull defect of 5 cm or less. Use 62100 when the operation repairs the dural defect responsible for a cerebrospinal fluid leak.
62141CranioplastyDefect over 5 cm
62141 is cranioplasty for a skull defect larger than 5 cm. The distinction from 62100 is whether the surgery addresses the skull defect or repairs the cerebrospinal fluid leak.

Codes related to 62100

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

Codes related to 62100
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
62120Encephalocele repair, skull base, extraduralRepair of a skull-base encephalocele by an extradural approach.No office rate
62121Skull-base repair, encephalocele repairRepair of a skull-base encephalocele by an intradural approach.No office rate
62140Cranioplasty, defect under 5 cmCranioplasty for a skull defect measuring 5 cm or less.No office rate
62141Cranioplasty, defect over 5 cmCranioplasty for a skull defect larger than 5 cm.No office rate
62145Cranioplasty, with dural repairCranial repair involving a skull and brain defect rather than leak repair alone.No office rate

62100 billing questions

When should this code be chosen over a skull-defect repair code?

Use 62100 when the operative objective is closure of a cerebrospinal fluid leak through repair of its dural defect. A procedure directed at repairing a skull defect, rather than the leak, may fit a cranioplasty code instead.

How does this differ from codes 62120 and 62121?

Those codes describe skull-base encephalocele repair by extradural or intradural approach. Choose based on the operation actually performed; 62100 is for operative repair of a cerebrospinal fluid leak.

What documentation supports reporting 62100?

The operative note should identify the cerebrospinal fluid leak, the dural defect being repaired, the cranial approach, and the repair performed.

How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?

The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period. CMS assigns this code a 90-day global period.

How are multiple procedures in the same session paid?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures in the session are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while team surgery is not permitted.

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 62100PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,910 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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