Billing code 62328: Lumbar punctureMedicare rate & RVUs
Reports a diagnostic lumbar puncture performed with fluoroscopic or CT guidance to obtain cerebrospinal fluid for laboratory analysis.
Medicare pays $215.44 for 62328 nationally in the office and $73.48 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $190.95–$286.47.
Medicare rate · 62328
Lumbar puncture
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 1.69
- Total RVUs
- 6.45
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$215.44
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 62328 → · 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
What 62328 covers
This service is a diagnostic lumbar puncture in which fluoroscopy or CT guides needle placement into the lumbar thecal sac to collect cerebrospinal fluid. Radiologists, including neuroradiologists, commonly perform it in a hospital imaging department or an outpatient imaging setting. A typical indication is obtaining CSF for laboratory evaluation when image guidance is needed, such as after a difficult or unsuccessful bedside attempt or when patient anatomy makes landmark-based access challenging.
Report the code when the purpose is diagnostic CSF collection and fluoroscopy or CT is used to guide the puncture. The record should identify the diagnostic purpose, imaging guidance, CSF collection, and relevant procedural details. Guidance is part of this service; distinguish it from a therapeutic puncture for CSF drainage and from lumbar access for myelography. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur 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; assistant-at-surgery payment is statutorily restricted, and co-surgeon and team-surgery payment are 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 62328 pays more and less
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
109 payment localities
$190.95 to $286.47
109 of 109 payment localities
62328 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.
$190.95
$257.38
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
View every state and territory as a table
| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $250.90 | 1 |
| AL | $193.70 | 1 |
| AR | $190.95 | 1 |
| AZ | $209.83 | 1 |
| CA | $228.29–$286.47 | 29 |
| CO | $224.59 | 1 |
| CT | $229.61 | 1 |
| DC | $246.39 | 1 |
| DE | $213.28 | 1 |
| FL | $211.73–$230.90 | 3 |
| GA | $200.07–$219.26 | 2 |
| GU | $233.86 | 1 |
| HI | $233.86 | 1 |
| IA | $198.81 | 1 |
| ID | $200.03 | 1 |
| IL | $205.51–$224.60 | 4 |
| IN | $201.18 | 1 |
| KS | $197.77 | 1 |
| KY | $197.94 | 1 |
| LA | $197.59–$207.23 | 2 |
| MA | $223.23–$246.77 | 2 |
| MD | $217.34–$246.39 | 3 |
| ME | $200.93–$211.84 | 2 |
| MI | $202.90–$214.21 | 2 |
| MN | $215.64 | 1 |
| MO | $194.17–$208.10 | 3 |
| MS | $192.60 | 1 |
| MT | $215.42 | 1 |
| NC | $203.02 | 1 |
| ND | $211.86 | 1 |
| NE | $199.92 | 1 |
| NH | $220.96 | 1 |
| NJ | $232.35–$243.88 | 2 |
| NM | $203.95 | 1 |
| NV | $214.58 | 1 |
| NY | $206.00–$253.11 | 5 |
| OH | $202.17 | 1 |
| OK | $197.73 | 1 |
| OR | $213.04–$231.78 | 2 |
| PA | $202.56–$223.88 | 2 |
| PR | $217.03 | 1 |
| RI | $220.91 | 1 |
| SC | $202.91 | 1 |
| SD | $211.44 | 1 |
| TN | $198.73 | 1 |
| TX | $201.24–$223.74 | 8 |
| UT | $205.64 | 1 |
| VA | $211.07–$246.39 | 2 |
| VI | $217.03 | 1 |
| VT | $210.94 | 1 |
| WA | $222.84–$251.88 | 2 |
| WI | $204.85 | 1 |
| WV | $197.99 | 1 |
| WY | $213.87 | 1 |
How the 62328 rate is calculated
Each of 62328’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 · 62328
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.69Practice expense 4.58Malpractice 0.18
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 62328
The CMS indicators that decide how 62328 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 62328
Lumbar puncture
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
62328 without 51 · national office
$215.44
Lumbar puncture
62328-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$107.72
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%).
62328 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
62328 vs 62270 vs 62329 vs 62302: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 62270Lumbar puncture
- Both codes describe diagnostic lumbar puncture. Choose 62328 when fluoroscopy or CT guides the puncture; 62270 is the non-imaging-guided service.
- 62329Therapeutic spinal puncture
- The purpose separates the codes: 62328 obtains CSF for diagnosis, while 62329 drains CSF therapeutically under imaging guidance.
- 62302Myelography
- Code 62302 is for myelography using intrathecal contrast, not diagnostic CSF collection. Do not select it solely because lumbar needle access is used.
62328 billing questions
When should this code be used instead of 62270?
Use this code for a diagnostic lumbar puncture performed with fluoroscopic or CT guidance. Code 62270 describes a diagnostic lumbar puncture without imaging guidance.
Can imaging guidance be billed separately?
Fluoroscopic or CT guidance is part of this service. Do not report a separate guidance service for the same puncture.
How does this differ from 62329?
This code is for diagnostic CSF collection. Code 62329 is for a guided spinal puncture performed to drain CSF therapeutically.
Is modifier 50 appropriate for bilateral punctures?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; modifier 50 should not be used.
How does the 0-day global period affect same-day care?
Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the procedure's 0-day global period.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid for this service?
CMS applies a statutory restriction to assistant-at-surgery payment and does not permit co-surgeon or team-surgery payment for this code.
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
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