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Billing code 63741: Spinal shuntMedicare rate & RVUs

Report spinal shunt placement when a surgeon surgically diverts cerebrospinal fluid from the spinal subarachnoid space through an implanted shunt.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities92 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $713.11 for 63741 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 63741

Spinal shunt

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
8.89
Total RVUs
21.35
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$713.11

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 63741 → · 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 63741 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 63741 covers

A spinal shunt procedure places a catheter system to divert cerebrospinal fluid from the spinal subarachnoid space to another body compartment. Neurosurgeons typically perform the operation in a hospital operating room for patients who need CSF diversion. The operative report should identify the spinal access, shunt route and destination, and whether the surgeon placed a new system rather than revising or removing an existing one.

Report 63741 for the documented shunt installation, using the procedure details to distinguish it from other spinal-shunt codes. The service has a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period are included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. 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 63741 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

63741 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$626.51
Alaska*Unavailable$831.11
ArizonaUnavailable$687.56
ArkansasUnavailable$615.94
AtlantaUnavailable$741.36
AustinUnavailable$718.60
BakersfieldUnavailable$704.21
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$766.59
BeaumontUnavailable$677.78
BrazoriaUnavailable$688.13

63741 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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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
63741 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 63741 rate is calculated

Each of 63741’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 · 63741

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 8.89Practice expense 9.11Malpractice 3.35

21.3500 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$713.11

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 63741

63741 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 63741

Spinal shunt

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 · 63741

Spinal shunt

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

63741 without 51 · national facility

$713.11

Spinal shunt

63741-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$356.56

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

63741 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

63741 vs 63740 vs 63744 vs 63746 vs 62223: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 63741
    Spinal shunt · 8.89 wRVU
    —
  • 63740
    Spinal shunt · 12.31 wRVU
    —
  • 63744
    Spinal shunt revision · 8.72 wRVU
    —
  • 63746
    Shunt removal · 7.15 wRVU
    —
  • 62223
    CSF shunt creation · 13.7 wRVU
    —

How to choose

63740Spinal shunt
Both codes concern spinal-shunt placement. Check the operative details against each code's full descriptor rather than choosing from the general indication alone.
63744Spinal shunt revision
63744 is for revising or replacing an existing spinal shunt; 63741 is for installing a shunt.
63746Shunt removal
63746 is for taking out a spinal shunt. It does not describe installation of a new shunt.
62223CSF shunt creation
62223 describes ventricular shunt placement, while 63741 concerns a spinal shunt; select according to the documented CSF diversion site.

Codes related to 63741

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

Codes related to 63741
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
63740Spinal shuntAnother spinal-shunt placement code; use the operative details to select the applicable code.No office rate
63744Spinal shunt revisionFor revision or replacement of an existing spinal shunt, rather than initial installation.No office rate
63746Shunt removalFor removal of a spinal shunt rather than placement.No office rate
Used instead
62223CSF shunt creationVentricular CSF shunt placement is a different diversion site when clinically indicated.No office rate

63741 billing questions

How do I distinguish placement from revision or removal?

Use 63741 when the surgeon installs a spinal shunt. Code 63744 describes revision or replacement, while 63746 describes removal.

What operative documentation supports 63741?

Document the shunt installation, spinal access, route and destination of CSF diversion, and whether the system is new. These details help distinguish placement from revision or removal.

Can modifier 50 be reported?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 should not be used to represent bilateral performance.

Can an assistant surgeon be paid?

CMS permits payment for an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.

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

The day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90-day period are included in the surgical global package.

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

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

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 63741PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,093 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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