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Billing code 62005: Skull fracture repairMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports operative elevation of a depressed compound or comminuted skull fracture when the treatment is extradural and does not require intracranial exploration.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities15 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,263.56 for 62005 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 62005

Skull fracture repair

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
17.19
Total RVUs
37.83
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,263.56

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 62005 → · 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 62005 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 62005 covers

A neurosurgeon typically reports this service for operative elevation of a depressed skull fracture with compound or comminuted features, when the work is extradural. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room, often after traumatic head injury. The operative note should establish the fracture pattern and describe the elevation and extent of the work, including whether treatment remained extradural.

Choose this code for the compound or comminuted fracture pattern; a simple depressed fracture is represented by 62000, while treatment requiring intracranial exploration or dural repair points to 62010. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. 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 for this service. An assistant at surgery 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 62005 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

62005 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,102.45
Alaska*Unavailable$1,470.81
ArizonaUnavailable$1,214.78
ArkansasUnavailable$1,082.93
AtlantaUnavailable$1,321.17
AustinUnavailable$1,262.98
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,222.55
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,362.84
BeaumontUnavailable$1,206.12
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,210.78

62005 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
62005 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 62005 rate is calculated

Each of 62005’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 · 62005

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 17.19Practice expense 13.38Malpractice 7.26

37.8300 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,263.56

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 62005

62005 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 62005

Skull fracture repair

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 · 62005

Skull fracture repair

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

62005 without 51 · national facility

$1,263.56

Skull fracture repair

62005-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$631.78

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

62005 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

62005 vs 62000 vs 62010 vs 61312: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 62005
    Skull fracture repair · 17.19 wRVU
    —
  • 62000
    Skull fracture surgery · 13.58 wRVU
    —
  • 62010
    Skull fracture treatment · 20.89 wRVU
    —
  • 61312
    Hematoma evacuation · 29.42 wRVU
    —

How to choose

62000Skull fracture surgery
62000 is for a simple depressed skull fracture. Choose 62005 when the fracture has compound or comminuted features.
62010Skull fracture treatment
62010 describes more extensive skull-fracture treatment requiring intracranial exploration or dural repair; 62005 is for extradural elevation.
61312Hematoma evacuation
61312 is for operative evacuation of a supratentorial extradural or subdural hematoma, not elevation of the skull fracture itself.

Codes related to 62005

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

Codes related to 62005
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
62000Skull fracture surgeryRelated code for the simple depressed skull fracture pattern.No office rate
62010Skull fracture treatmentRelated code when treatment requires intracranial exploration or dural repair.No office rate
Often billed with
61312Hematoma evacuationMay be reported for separately performed evacuation of a supratentorial extradural or subdural hematoma.No office rate

62005 billing questions

How does this differ from 62000?

62005 is for a depressed fracture with compound or comminuted features. Use 62000 for the simple fracture pattern.

When is 62010 a better fit?

Use 62010 when the treatment requires intracranial exploration or dural repair, rather than extradural elevation alone.

Can the assistant surgeon be reported?

CMS permits payment for an assistant at surgery. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

What does the global period include?

The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.

Should modifier 50 be appended for fractures on both sides?

No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service; report the operative treatment rather than treating it as a bilateral procedure.

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 62005PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,908 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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