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Billing code 61770: Intracranial drainageMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports stereotactic placement of an intracranial drainage catheter through burr hole access to treat a selected abscess, cyst, or hematoma.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities17 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,584.87 for 61770 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 61770

Intracranial drainage

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
22.61
Total RVUs
47.45
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,584.87

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 61770 → · 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 61770 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 61770 covers

This service uses stereotactic localization and burr hole access to place a catheter for drainage of an intracranial abscess, cyst, or hematoma. Neurosurgeons typically perform it in a hospital operating room when targeted catheter placement is needed to reach the collection. The procedure is distinct from stereotactic biopsy, which obtains tissue or fluid for diagnosis, and from electrode placement for seizure monitoring.

Report the code when the operative record supports stereotactic localization, burr hole access, and placement of a drainage catheter for the treated intracranial collection. The 90-day 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 multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; 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 61770 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

61770 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,382.60
Alaska*Unavailable$1,852.44
ArizonaUnavailable$1,523.11
ArkansasUnavailable$1,358.16
AtlantaUnavailable$1,659.42
AustinUnavailable$1,579.64
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,523.53
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,709.83
BeaumontUnavailable$1,516.26
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,516.14

61770 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
61770 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 61770 rate is calculated

Each of 61770’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 · 61770

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 22.61Practice expense 15.29Malpractice 9.55

47.4500 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,584.87

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 61770

61770 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 61770

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 · 61770

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

61770 without 51 · national facility

$1,584.87

Intracranial drainage

61770-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$792.44

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

61770 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

61770 vs 61154 vs 61750 vs 61751: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 61770
    Intracranial drainage · 22.61 wRVU
    —
  • 61154
    Hematoma drainage · 16.64 wRVU
    —
  • 61750
    Brain biopsy · 19.33 wRVU
    —
  • 61751
    Brain biopsy · 18.32 wRVU
    —

How to choose

61154Hematoma drainage
This code describes stereotactic catheter placement for drainage of an intracranial collection. Code 61154 describes burr-hole drainage of an extradural or subdural hematoma.
61750Brain biopsy
Choose 61750 when stereotactic access is used to obtain a biopsy specimen. Choose 61770 when the procedure places a catheter for drainage.
61751Brain biopsy
Code 61751 is for stereotactic intracranial biopsy with CT or MR guidance; this code addresses stereotactic catheter placement for drainage.

Codes related to 61770

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

Codes related to 61770
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
61154Hematoma drainageBurr-hole drainage of an extradural or subdural hematoma without the stereotactic catheter-placement service.No office rate
61750Brain biopsyStereotactic intracranial sampling when the procedure's objective is biopsy rather than drainage.No office rate
61751Brain biopsyImage-guided stereotactic biopsy for diagnostic sampling, rather than catheter drainage.No office rate

61770 billing questions

When should this code be chosen instead of a stereotactic biopsy code?

Use this code when the stereotactic procedure places a catheter to drain an intracranial collection. Stereotactic biopsy codes apply when the goal is obtaining a specimen for diagnosis.

Is stereotactic localization separately reported?

The localization is part of this service. The operative documentation should support its use to guide burr hole access and catheter placement.

Does modifier 50 apply when the collection is bilateral?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.

How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons are payable only with supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?

Under the standard multiple procedure rule, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the 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 61770PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,883 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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