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CPT code 62142: Cranial implant removal, bone flap or prosthetic plate2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Report removal of an existing skull bone flap or prosthetic plate, such as during neurosurgical treatment of an infected or exposed cranial implant.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities651 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $901.16 for 62142 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 62142

Cranial implant removal, bone flap or prosthetic plate

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
11.53
Total RVUs
26.98
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$901.16

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 62142 →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 62142 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 62142 covers

A neurosurgeon removes a previously placed bone flap or prosthetic plate from the skull. This may be part of treating a complication such as infection, exposure, or wound breakdown. The service is generally performed in an operating room, often in a hospital, and concerns removal of the cranial material rather than repair of a skull defect by itself.

Report the code when the operative note supports removal of the existing bone flap or plate, identifying the material and the work performed. The 90-day global period includes 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 other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 62142 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

62142 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$788.76
AlaskaUnavailable$1,047.60
ArizonaUnavailable$867.65
ArkansasUnavailable$775.08
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$939.24
Austin, TXUnavailable$905.20
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$882.54
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$970.41
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$857.66
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$866.89

62142 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
62142 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 62142 rate is calculated

Each of 62142’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 · 62142

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work11.53

11.53 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense10.81

10.81 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice4.64

4.64 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

26.9800

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$901.16

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 62142

62142 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 62142

Cranial implant removal, bone flap or prosthetic plate

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)0Not permitted.
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 · 62142

Cranial implant removal, bone flap or prosthetic plate

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

62142 without 51 · national facility

$901.16

Cranial implant removal, bone flap or prosthetic plate

62142-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$450.58

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

62142 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 62142

    Cranial implant removal, bone flap or prosthetic plate11.53 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 62143

    Skull reconstruction, bone flap or plate replacement13.8 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 62148

    Bone flap repair, repositioning during skull repair1.95 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

62143Skull reconstructionBone flap or plate replacement
Choose 62142 for removal of an existing bone flap or prosthetic plate; 62143 describes replacement of that material.
62148Bone flap repairRepositioning during skull repair
62148 concerns retrieval or repositioning of a bone flap to repair the skull, not simply removal of a flap or plate.
62140CranioplastyDefect under 5 cm
62140 is for cranioplasty to repair a skull defect up to 5 cm; 62142 is for removing existing cranial material.
62141CranioplastyDefect over 5 cm
62141 is for cranioplasty to repair a skull defect over 5 cm; 62142 is for removing existing cranial material.

Codes related to 62142

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

Codes related to 62142
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
62143Skull reconstruction, bone flap or plate replacementDescribes replacement of a bone flap or prosthetic plate rather than its removal.No office rate
62148Bone flap repair, repositioning during skull repairAddresses retrieval or repositioning of a bone flap to repair the skull.No office rate
62140Cranioplasty, defect under 5 cmCovers cranioplasty for a skull defect up to 5 cm, rather than removal of existing material.No office rate
62141Cranioplasty, defect over 5 cmCovers cranioplasty for a skull defect over 5 cm, rather than removal of existing material.No office rate

62142 billing questions

How is removal different from replacement of a cranial plate?

62142 describes removing an existing bone flap or prosthetic plate. Code 62143 describes replacement; the operative record should make clear whether removal, replacement, or both procedures were performed.

Can 62142 be reported with 62143?

The codes describe removal and replacement, respectively, but they are not an automatic pair. Report the services supported by the operative work and applicable coding edits.

Does modifier 50 apply when material is removed from both sides?

No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

Can an assistant surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made for this procedure. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 62142PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,917 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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