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Billing code 61150: Intracranial drainageMedicare rate & RVUs

A neurosurgeon creates a burr-hole or trephine opening to drain an intracranial abscess or cyst when operative drainage is performed.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities60 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,336.37 for 61150 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 61150

Intracranial drainage

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
18.43
Total RVUs
40.01
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,336.37

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 61150 → · 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.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 61150 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 61150 covers

A neurosurgeon uses a burr hole or trephine opening to reach and drain an abscess or cyst within the brain. The service is generally performed in an operating room or hospital setting for a patient requiring operative treatment of an intracranial collection. This code identifies drainage; diagnostic sampling, ventricular access, and evacuation of a hematoma have different procedural purposes and should not be substituted based only on the type of skull opening.

Report the code when the operative record supports drainage of a brain abscess or cyst through the described approach. The major-surgery global period includes 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 other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; co-surgeons require 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 61150 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

61150 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,166.18
Alaska*Unavailable$1,557.79
ArizonaUnavailable$1,284.74
ArkansasUnavailable$1,145.58
AtlantaUnavailable$1,397.70
AustinUnavailable$1,334.83
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,291.04
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,441.34
BeaumontUnavailable$1,276.42
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,280.12

61150 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
61150 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 61150 rate is calculated

Each of 61150’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 · 61150

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 18.43Practice expense 13.82Malpractice 7.76

40.0100 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,336.37

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 61150

61150 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 61150

Intracranial drainage

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 · 61150

Intracranial drainage

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.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned 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

61150 without 51 · national facility

$1,336.37

Intracranial drainage

61150-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$668.19

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

61150 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

61150 vs 61151 vs 61140 vs 61154 vs 61156: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 61150
    Intracranial drainage · 18.43 wRVU
    —
  • 61151
    Subdural tap · 13.15 wRVU
    —
  • 61140
    Brain biopsy · 16.8 wRVU
    —
  • 61154
    Hematoma drainage · 16.64 wRVU
    —
  • 61156
    Burr-hole aspiration · 17.01 wRVU
    —

How to choose

61151Subdural tap
61150 is for operative drainage of a brain abscess or cyst; 61151 describes subsequent tapping of a cyst or abscess.
61140Brain biopsy
Use 61140 when the burr hole or trephine is for biopsy of brain tissue or a lesion. Use 61150 when the intent is drainage of an abscess or cyst.
61154Hematoma drainage
61154 addresses evacuation or drainage of an extradural or subdural hematoma, not drainage of a brain abscess or cyst.
61156Burr-hole aspiration
61156 is for aspiration of an intracerebral hematoma or cyst. Distinguish it from 61150 by the documented procedure and target.

Codes related to 61150

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

Codes related to 61150
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
61151Subdural tapRelated burr-hole procedure for subsequent tapping of a cyst or abscess.No office rate
61140Brain biopsyBurr-hole or trephine approach used for brain or lesion biopsy rather than drainage.No office rate
61154Hematoma drainageBurr-hole procedure for evacuation or drainage of an extradural or subdural hematoma.No office rate
61156Burr-hole aspirationBurr-hole procedure for aspiration of an intracerebral hematoma or cyst.No office rate

61150 billing questions

How is this different from 61151?

61150 represents operative drainage of a brain abscess or cyst. Use 61151 when the service is subsequent tapping of a cyst or abscess.

Can I report a brain biopsy instead?

No. Code 61140 describes a burr-hole or trephine biopsy of brain tissue or a lesion; 61150 is for drainage of an abscess or cyst.

Should modifier 50 be appended for bilateral work?

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

How does the multiple-procedure reduction work?

For procedures performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50% under the standard multiple-procedure rule.

Is an assistant surgeon payable?

Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service. Co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

What postoperative care is included?

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

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 61150PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,749 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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