No office rate
Choose 61571 when the penetrating wound is treated without foreign-body removal; choose 61570 when the operation includes removal of a foreign body from the brain.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
61571 Brain wound surgery Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Reports a craniotomy or craniectomy to treat a penetrating brain wound when the operation does not include removal of a foreign body. Compare 61571 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alabama.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 61571 in Alabama?
Alabama has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$1695.38
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Neurosurgery
About 61571: Craniotomy for penetrating brain wound
Reports a craniotomy or craniectomy to treat a penetrating brain wound when the operation does not include removal of a foreign body.
A neurosurgeon uses a craniotomy or craniectomy to access and treat a penetrating injury to the brain, such as a wound caused by an object entering the skull. This code distinguishes wound treatment without foreign-body removal from the related procedure that includes removing a foreign body. The operative report should establish the penetrating brain injury and describe the surgical access and treatment performed.
Report the service for the wound operation, not for a procedure whose target is only an intracranial hematoma or a brain lesion. Document whether a foreign body was removed; that detail helps distinguish this service from 61570. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 61571
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU27.71 · 48%
- Practice expense (office) RVU18.76 · 32%
- Malpractice RVU11.72 · 20%
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.
61571 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
61571 treats a penetrating brain wound. 61312 is for evacuation of an extradural or subdural hematoma above the tentorium.
No office rate
61571 treats a penetrating brain wound. 61313 is for evacuation of an intraparenchymal hematoma above the tentorium.
Compare 61571 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Alabama →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1695.38
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 61571 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,818
- Code
- 61571
- Physician work
- 27.71
- Practice expense
- 18.76
- Malpractice
- 11.72
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 27.71 | × 1.000 | 27.7100 |
| Practice expense | 18.76 | × 0.875 | 16.4150 |
| Malpractice | 11.72 | × 0.566 | 6.6335 |
| Total RVUs | 50.7585 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alabama$1695.38
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 27.71 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 18.76 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 11.72 | 0.566 |
(27.71 × 1 + 18.76 × 0.875 + 11.72 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $1695.38
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
61571 billing questions
How does 61571 differ from 61570?
61571 describes surgery for a penetrating brain wound without foreign-body removal. Use 61570 when the operation includes removing a foreign body from the brain.
Can the surgeon also report a hematoma evacuation?
A separately performed hematoma evacuation may be reportable when it is a distinct procedure. The operative documentation should identify the hematoma treatment separately from treatment of the penetrating wound.
What documentation supports 61571?
Document the penetrating brain injury, the craniotomy or craniectomy performed, the treatment of the wound, and whether a foreign body was removed.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
6,81561566,,Removal of brain tissue,A,,31.64,20.04,NA,20.04,,13.37,65.05,65.05,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,81661567,,Incision of brain tissue,A,,36.08,22.75,NA,22.75,,15.23,74.06,74.06,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,81761570,,Remove foreign body brain,A,,25.85,18.10,NA,18.10,,10.93,54.88,54.88,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,81861571,,Incise skull for brain wound,A,,27.71,18.76,NA,18.76,,11.72,58.19,58.19,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,81961575,,Skull base/brainstem surgery,A,,35.65,21.54,NA,21.54,,15.05,72.24,72.24,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,82061576,,Skull base/brainstem surgery,A,,53.93,48.90,NA,48.90,,22.75,125.58,125.58,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,82161580,,Craniofacial approach skull,A,,33.65,25.75,NA,25.75,,7.02,66.42,66.42,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,1,1,2,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1ADDENDUM E. FINAL CY 2026 GEOGRAPHIC PRACTICE COST INDICES (GPCIs) BY STATE AND MEDICARE LOCALITY,,,,,,
2,,,,,,
3Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC),State,Locality Number,Locality Name,2026 PW GPCI (with 1.0 Floor)***,2026 PE GPCI,2026 MP GPCI
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515