FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 61343: Posterior fossa decompressionMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports suboccipital and upper cervical bone removal to decompress the medulla and spinal cord, commonly for crowding at the foramen magnum.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities248 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $2,112.27 for 61343 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 61343

Posterior fossa decompression

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
31.06
Total RVUs
63.24
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$2,112.27

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 61343 → · 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 61343 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 61343 covers

This operation removes bone at the base of the skull and from the upper cervical spine to relieve pressure on the lower brainstem and spinal cord. Neurosurgeons commonly perform it for symptomatic Chiari malformation with crowding at the foramen magnum. It is generally an operating-room procedure in a hospital or other surgical facility.

Select this code when the operative report supports posterior fossa decompression that includes cervical laminectomy for the cervicomedullary region. The report should identify the decompression performed and the relevant anatomy; the cervical bone removal is part of this operative service, not a separate laminectomy for the same decompression. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery services 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 61343 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

61343 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,846.33
Alaska*Unavailable$2,481.96
ArizonaUnavailable$2,030.83
ArkansasUnavailable$1,814.22
AtlantaUnavailable$2,211.37
AustinUnavailable$2,103.44
BakersfieldUnavailable$2,027.77
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$2,277.18
BeaumontUnavailable$2,023.63
BrazoriaUnavailable$2,021.04

61343 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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
61343 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 61343 rate is calculated

Each of 61343’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 · 61343

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 31.06Practice expense 19.43Malpractice 12.75

63.2400 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$2,112.27

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 61343

61343 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 61343

Posterior fossa decompression

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 · 61343

Posterior fossa decompression

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

61343 without 51 · national facility

$2,112.27

Posterior fossa decompression

61343-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$1,056.14

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

61343 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

61343 vs 61345 vs 61340 vs 63045: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 61343
    Posterior fossa decompression · 31.06 wRVU
    —
  • 61345
    Cranial decompression · 28.5 wRVU
    —
  • 61340
    Cranial decompression · 19.61 wRVU
    —
  • 63045
    Cervical decompression · 17.5 wRVU
    —

How to choose

61345Cranial decompression
61343 describes suboccipital decompression that includes cervical laminectomy for the medulla and spinal cord. Consider 61345 for a different posterior fossa decompression that does not match that specific service.
61340Cranial decompression
61340 is subtemporal decompression, not decompression at the foramen magnum with upper cervical bone removal.
63045Cervical decompression
63045 describes cervical spinal decompression for a cervical spine condition. Use 61343 when the cervical laminectomy is part of the suboccipital cervicomedullary decompression.

Codes related to 61343

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

Codes related to 61343
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
61345Cranial decompressionAnother posterior fossa decompression code for procedures outside this defined cervicomedullary service.No office rate
61340Cranial decompressionDescribes subtemporal cranial decompression, a different site and approach.No office rate
63045Cervical decompressionFor cervical spinal decompression when the service is not part of posterior fossa decompression.No office rate

61343 billing questions

When is 61343 preferable to another posterior fossa decompression code?

Use 61343 when the operative service is suboccipital decompression with cervical laminectomy to relieve pressure on the medulla and spinal cord. A different posterior fossa decompression may be classified under 61345 when it does not match that service.

Can the cervical laminectomy be billed separately?

The cervical bone removal performed as part of this cervicomedullary decompression is included in the service. Do not report a separate laminectomy for the same decompression.

Should modifier 50 be used for a bilateral procedure?

No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.

What postoperative care is included in the global period?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

How does Medicare handle other procedures performed in the same session?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction.

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 61343PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,771 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 61343 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 61343 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.

Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →