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CPT code 62143: Skull reconstruction2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Report this service when a surgeon replaces a cranial bone flap or prosthetic plate during operative reconstruction of the skull.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities969 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,042.78 for 62143 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 62143

Skull reconstruction

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
13.8
Total RVUs
31.22
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,042.78

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 62143 →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.

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 62143 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 62143 covers

A neurosurgeon or other qualified surgeon uses this code for operative replacement of a bone flap or prosthetic plate in the skull. The service involves restoring the cranial covering with the replaced bone or plate; it is distinct from simply removing the flap or plate and from reconstructing a defect with a newly obtained graft. These cases are generally performed in a hospital or other surgical facility.

Select the code when the operative report documents replacement of the bone flap or prosthetic plate, including the site and the work performed. It has a 90-day global period, which includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one 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. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; 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 62143 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

62143 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$911.94
AlaskaUnavailable$1,214.41
ArizonaUnavailable$1,003.49
ArkansasUnavailable$896.05
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$1,088.26
Austin, TXUnavailable$1,045.10
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$1,015.81
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$1,123.47
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$993.98
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$1,001.55

62143 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
62143 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 62143 rate is calculated

Each of 62143’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 · 62143

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work13.80

13.80 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense11.79

11.79 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice5.63

5.63 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

31.2200

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,042.78

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 62143

62143 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 62143

Skull reconstruction

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 · 62143

Skull reconstruction

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

62143 without 51 · national facility

$1,042.78

Skull reconstruction

62143-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$521.39

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

62143 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 62143

    Skull reconstruction13.8 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 62142

    Cranial implant removal11.53 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 62140

    Cranioplasty14.19 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 62146

    Cranioplasty16.85 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 62148

    Bone flap repair1.95 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

62142Cranial implant removal
Use 62143 when the service replaces a bone flap or prosthetic plate. Code 62142 describes removal, not replacement.
62140Cranioplasty
62140 addresses cranial defect repair for a defect under the size threshold; 62143 describes replacement of a flap or plate.
62146Cranioplasty
62146 is skull reconstruction using an autograft for a smaller defect. Choose 62143 when the service is replacement of a bone flap or prosthetic plate.
62148Bone flap repair
62148 describes repositioning an existing bone flap. 62143 is for replacing a flap or plate.

Codes related to 62143

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

Codes related to 62143
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
62142Cranial implant removalDescribes removal of a bone flap or prosthetic plate rather than replacement.No office rate
62140CranioplastyCranial defect repair for a smaller defect, rather than replacement of a flap or plate.No office rate
62141CranioplastyCranial defect repair for a larger defect, rather than replacement of a flap or plate.No office rate
62146CranioplastySkull reconstruction using an autograft for a smaller defect.No office rate
62147CranioplastySkull reconstruction using an autograft for a larger defect.No office rate
62148Bone flap repairRepositions an existing bone flap rather than replacing a flap or plate.No office rate

62143 billing questions

How does 62143 differ from 62142?

62143 is for replacing a cranial bone flap or prosthetic plate; 62142 describes removal. Base the selection on the operative service documented, not simply on the fact that a flap or plate was present.

Should modifier 50 be used for replacement on both sides?

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

What postoperative care is included?

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

How are other procedures in the same session paid?

Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50% when performed in the same session.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

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

What should the operative note establish?

Document that a bone flap or prosthetic plate was replaced, its cranial site, and the operative work performed. The record should distinguish replacement from removal alone or reconstruction using a new graft.

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 62143PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,918 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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