Billing code 61154: Hematoma drainageMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $1,286.60 for 61154 nationally in a facility.

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

What 61154 covers

A neurosurgeon creates one or more burr holes in the skull to reach and evacuate or drain an extradural (epidural) or subdural hematoma. The procedure may be used for acute or chronic blood collections when burr-hole access is the selected operative approach. It is typically performed in a hospital operating room, often for a patient with symptomatic intracranial bleeding or pressure from a hematoma.

Select this code for the hematoma’s extradural or subdural location and the burr-hole approach; a twist-drill procedure, intracerebral aspiration, or open craniotomy represents a different service. The operative report should identify the hematoma location, approach, and evacuation or drainage performed. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care through day 90. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 applies to bilateral performance and is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; 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 61154 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

61154 rates by state

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

How the 61154 rate is calculated

Each of 61154’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 61154

61154 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 50

61154 compared with similar codes

How to choose

61108Subdural drainage

Choose 61154 for burr-hole evacuation or drainage of an extradural or subdural hematoma. Code 61108 describes a twist-drill approach, including subdural drainage.

61156Burr-hole aspiration

Code 61156 is for aspiration of an intracerebral hematoma or cyst. Code 61154 is for an extradural or subdural hematoma treated through burr-hole access.

61312Hematoma evacuation

Code 61312 describes open craniotomy treatment of a supratentorial extradural or subdural hematoma; use 61154 when the surgeon uses burr-hole access.

Codes related to 61154

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