CPT code 62220: CSF shunt, to extracranial site2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 62220 in California.

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

What 62220 covers

A neurosurgeon creates a route for cerebrospinal fluid to drain from a subarachnoid, subdural, or ventricular space to the peritoneal cavity, pleural cavity, or another extracranial site. These procedures are commonly performed in a hospital operating room to divert CSF in patients with hydrocephalus or another condition requiring drainage. The operative report should identify the intracranial space, the destination, and the shunt work performed.

Select this code when the documented procedure establishes that intracranial-to-extracranial shunt; code 62223 is the nearby choice when the work includes insertion of a catheter into the brain. This is a major surgery with a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. 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 62220 pays more and less in California

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

29 of 29 payment localities

How the 62220 rate is calculated

Each of 62220’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 62220

62220 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

62220 compared with similar codes

How to choose

62223CSF shunt creationPeritoneal, pleural, or other terminus

Choose 62223 when the operative work includes insertion of a catheter into the brain. Code 62220 describes the shunt to an extracranial site without that specific distinction in its descriptor.

62200CSF shuntNew intracranial shunt

62200 establishes a shunt to the nasal cavity. Use 62220 for a destination such as the peritoneal or pleural cavity, or another extracranial site.

62230Shunt revisionComponent revision, not full-system replacement

62230 describes revision or replacement of an existing shunt. Use 62220 for creating the shunt pathway rather than revising an established one.

Codes related to 62220

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