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Billing code 61501: CraniectomyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical removal and debridement of skull bone affected by osteomyelitis, rather than excision of a tumor or treatment of an intracranial abscess.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities161 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,056.14 for 61501 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 61501

Craniectomy

Work RVUs
15.94
Total RVUs
31.62
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,056.14

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 61501 →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 61501 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 61501 covers

A neurosurgeon reports this service when surgery removes and debrides skull bone involved in osteomyelitis. The operation is generally performed in a hospital operating room; the operative target is infected bone, not a brain lesion or an abscess within the brain. The surgeon’s note should identify the skull site, describe the extent of involved bone removed and document the osteomyelitis being treated.

Select this code based on the operative diagnosis and work performed, not merely on a history of skull infection or drainage of nearby soft tissue. It 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 are 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. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; 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 61501 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

61501 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$942.27
Alaska*Unavailable$1,275.87
ArizonaUnavailable$1,022.20
ArkansasUnavailable$928.40
AtlantaUnavailable$1,095.09
AustinUnavailable$1,060.63
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,040.24
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,128.58
BeaumontUnavailable$1,011.98
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,022.63

61501 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
61501 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 61501 rate is calculated

Each of 61501’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 · 61501

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work15.94

15.94 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense10.99

10.99 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice4.69

4.69 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

31.6200

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,056.14

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 61501

61501 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 61501

Craniectomy

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 · 61501

Craniectomy

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

61501 without 51 · national facility

$1,056.14

Craniectomy

61501-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$528.07

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

61501 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

  • 61501

    Craniectomy15.94 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 61500

    Skull lesion excision18.7 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 61514

    Brain abscess surgery26.55 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 61522

    Brain abscess removal30.75 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

61500Skull lesion excision
Choose 61501 for osteomyelitis involving skull bone. Choose 61500 when the operative indication is excision of a skull tumor or other bone lesion.
61514Brain abscess surgery
61514 concerns surgery for a brain abscess. This code concerns removal and debridement of infected skull bone.
61522Brain abscess removal
61522 is another brain-abscess operation, not a code for osteomyelitis confined to skull bone.

Codes related to 61501

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

Codes related to 61501
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
61500Skull lesion excisionCranial bone surgery code for excision of a tumor or other bone lesion, rather than osteomyelitis.No office rate
Used instead
61514Brain abscess surgeryFor operative treatment of a brain abscess rather than infection of skull bone.No office rate
61522Brain abscess removalA brain-abscess operation; distinguish the intracranial target from osteomyelitis of skull bone.No office rate

61501 billing questions

How is this distinguished from 61500?

Use 61501 when the operative target is skull bone affected by osteomyelitis. Code 61500 describes excision of a skull tumor or other bone lesion, rather than treatment of osteomyelitis.

Can the surgeon separately report drainage of an intracranial abscess?

A brain abscess is a different operative target from infected skull bone. If the surgeon treats both conditions, review the operative report and applicable coding guidance to determine the reportable services.

Does modifier 50 apply when infection affects both sides?

No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code under the CMS bilateral rule; report the service based on the documented operation.

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 or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 61501PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,777 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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