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Billing code 61615: Skull lesion surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical removal of an extradural neoplastic, vascular, or infectious skull lesion when the procedure includes craniectomy.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities59 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $2,818.37 for 61615 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 61615

Skull lesion surgery

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
34.88
Total RVUs
84.38
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$2,818.37

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 61615 → · 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 61615 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 61615 covers

A neurosurgeon removes a neoplastic, vascular, or infectious lesion involving the skull from outside the dura, including the craniectomy needed to reach and excise it. A typical setting is facility-based surgery for a calvarial lesion requiring operative removal. The operative report should establish the lesion’s location and nature, the extradural operative plane, and the skull removal and excision performed.

Choose this code for an extradural skull lesion, not for an intradural lesion or a lesion at a separately defined cranial site. The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the major-surgery global period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 61615 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

61615 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$2,459.57
Alaska*Unavailable$3,255.29
ArizonaUnavailable$2,711.48
ArkansasUnavailable$2,415.89
AtlantaUnavailable$2,939.40
AustinUnavailable$2,831.91
BakersfieldUnavailable$2,759.46
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$3,038.44
BeaumontUnavailable$2,678.92
BrazoriaUnavailable$2,708.93

61615 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
61615 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 61615 rate is calculated

Each of 61615’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 · 61615

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 34.88Practice expense 34.76Malpractice 14.74

84.3800 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$2,818.37

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 61615

61615 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 61615

Skull lesion surgery

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)2Permitted.
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 · 61615

Skull lesion surgery

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

61615 without 51 · national facility

$2,818.37

Skull lesion surgery

61615-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$1,409.19

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

61615 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

61615 vs 61616 vs 61600 vs 61500: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 61615
    Skull lesion surgery · 34.88 wRVU
    —
  • 61616
    Skull-base resection · 45.57 wRVU
    —
  • 61600
    Skull base resection · 29.26 wRVU
    —
  • 61500
    Skull lesion excision · 18.7 wRVU
    —

How to choose

61616Skull-base resection
The key distinction is the operative relationship to the dura: 61615 covers extradural skull-lesion removal, while 61616 is for an intradural lesion.
61600Skull base resection
61600 is for lesions at specified parasellar or adjacent cranial sites; 61615 addresses an extradural lesion of the skull.
61500Skull lesion excision
61500 describes craniectomy for a benign skull tumor or cyst. 61615 covers extradural neoplastic, vascular, or infectious skull lesions and includes craniectomy.

Codes related to 61615

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

Codes related to 61615
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
61616Skull-base resectionRelated skull-lesion resection code for an intradural rather than extradural lesion.No office rate
Used instead
61600Skull base resectionUsed for a lesion in the parasellar area, cavernous sinus, clivus, or petrous apex.No office rate
61605Skull-base resectionUsed for a lesion in the infratemporal fossa rather than the skull site described by 61615.No office rate
61500Skull lesion excisionCraniectomy code for excision of a benign skull tumor or cyst.No office rate

61615 billing questions

How does 61615 differ from 61616?

61615 is for an extradural skull lesion removed with craniectomy. Use 61616 when the skull lesion is intradural and the procedure includes dural work.

Is craniectomy included in 61615?

Yes. The code includes the craniectomy performed as part of resecting or excising the extradural lesion.

Can modifier 50 be reported?

No. The descriptor and anatomy make a bilateral adjustment inappropriate for 61615.

What postoperative care is included?

The major-surgery 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-surgeons are paid only when supporting documentation is provided.

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 61615PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,843 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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