Billing code 61606: Skull-base lesion resectionMedicare rate & RVUs in Alabama
Reports excision of an extradural neoplastic, vascular, or infectious lesion at the posterior cranial fossa base, including drilling and any required dural repair.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61606 in Alabama.
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 9 sections
What 61606 covers
A neurosurgeon or skull-base surgeon uses this code to remove a neoplastic, vascular, or infectious lesion from the extradural base of the posterior cranial fossa. The work includes drilling needed to reach or remove the lesion and may include dural repair. These operations are generally performed in a hospital operating room; the operative report should identify the lesion’s location and confirm that the treated portion was extradural.
Choose this code by the lesion’s site and operative plane, not simply because the procedure involved the posterior fossa. Document the pathology or suspected lesion type, extent of excision, bone work, and any dural repair. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed 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 may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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.
61606 in Alabama
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Unavailable | $2,413.13 |
How the 61606 rate is calculated
Each of 61606’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 · 61606
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 41.00Practice expense 26.61Malpractice 14.07
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61606
61606 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 61606
Skull-base lesion resection
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are 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) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 2 | Permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.11/0.76/0.13 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 61606
Skull-base lesion resection
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
61606 without 51 · national facility
$2,728.19
Skull-base lesion resection
61606-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,364.10
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%).
61606 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
61606 vs 61605 vs 61608 vs 61615: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 61605Skull-base resection
- Both describe extradural cranial-base lesion resection, but 61605 is for the middle cranial fossa base; 61606 is for the posterior cranial fossa base.
- 61608Cranial lesion resection
- The anatomic region is the posterior cranial fossa base for both. The operative plane is the distinction: extradural for 61606 and intradural for 61608.
- 61615Skull lesion surgery
- 61615 concerns lesion resection at the infratemporal or lateral skull base. Use 61606 for an extradural lesion at the posterior cranial fossa base.
61606 billing questions
How does this differ from 61608?
61606 is for an extradural lesion at the posterior cranial fossa base. Use 61608 when the lesion is intradural.
When would 61605 be more appropriate?
61605 describes an extradural lesion at the base of the middle cranial fossa. The lesion’s anatomic site, rather than the general skull-base approach, distinguishes it from 61606.
What should the operative report establish?
Document the lesion’s posterior cranial fossa base location, its extradural plane, the excision performed, and the drilling and dural repair involved.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral work?
No. CMS identifies modifier 50 as inappropriate for this code; its descriptor and anatomy do not support a bilateral adjustment.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeons require supporting documentation.
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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