No office rate
Use 62141 for a skull defect over 5 cm in diameter. This code is for a defect smaller than 5 cm.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
62140 Cranioplasty Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Cranioplasty reconstructs a skull defect smaller than 5 cm in diameter, commonly after craniectomy, trauma, or removal of a cranial lesion. Compare 62140 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 62140 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
$865.28
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 62140: Small skull defect cranioplasty
Cranioplasty reconstructs a skull defect smaller than 5 cm in diameter, commonly after craniectomy, trauma, or removal of a cranial lesion.
A neurosurgeon or other qualified surgeon reconstructs a cranial bone defect measuring less than 5 cm in diameter, restoring skull contour and protective coverage. The defect may follow a prior craniectomy, traumatic bone loss, or removal of a cranial lesion. This code identifies the small-defect repair without the autograft approach represented by the graft-specific codes. Cranioplasty is commonly performed in a hospital operating room.
Select the code based on the defect’s documented diameter and the repair performed; the operative report should describe the defect, its cause, the reconstruction method, and any graft material. Medicare assigns major-surgery global treatment: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 62140
- 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 RVU14.19 · 48%
- Practice expense (office) RVU10.22 · 35%
- Malpractice RVU4.90 · 17%
763
Medicare services in 2024 · #3197 by national volume
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.
62140 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Use 62146 for small-defect cranioplasty performed with an autograft; this code represents the non-autograft small-defect service.
No office rate
Use 62147 when an autograft is used for a defect over 5 cm. This code is for a smaller defect without the graft-specific approach.
Compare 62140 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
$865.28
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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 62140 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,915
- Code
- 62140
- Physician work
- 14.19
- Practice expense
- 10.22
- Malpractice
- 4.90
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 14.19 | × 1.000 | 14.1900 |
| Practice expense | 10.22 | × 0.875 | 8.9425 |
| Malpractice | 4.90 | × 0.566 | 2.7734 |
| Total RVUs | 25.9059 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alabama$865.28
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 14.19 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 10.22 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 4.9 | 0.566 |
(14.19 × 1 + 10.22 × 0.875 + 4.9 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $865.28
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.
62140 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from 62141?
The defect diameter determines the size level: 62140 is for a defect smaller than 5 cm, while 62141 is for a defect over 5 cm. Document the measured defect in the operative report.
When should the autograft codes be considered?
Use the graft-specific family when the cranioplasty is performed with an autograft. Codes 62146 and 62147 distinguish the smaller and larger defect size levels, respectively.
What documentation supports reporting this service?
The operative report should establish the defect’s location and diameter, the reason for reconstruction, and how the surgeon repaired it. Include whether an autograft was used so the appropriate code family can be selected.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period. Routine related follow-up during that period is part of the surgical service.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction to the other procedures performed in that session.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made for this service. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
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.
6,91262117,,Reduction of skull defect,A,,27.64,17.73,NA,17.73,,11.70,57.07,57.07,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,91362120,,Repair skull cavity lesion,A,,23.98,30.10,NA,30.10,,10.13,64.21,64.21,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,91462121,,Incise skull repair,A,,22.45,14.52,NA,14.52,,5.94,42.91,42.91,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,91562140,,Crnop skull defect<5 cm diam,A,,14.19,10.22,NA,10.22,,4.90,29.31,29.31,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,91662141,,Crnop skull defect>5 cm diam,A,,15.67,11.76,NA,11.76,,5.97,33.40,33.40,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,91762142,,Rmvl b1 flp/prostc plate skl,A,,11.53,10.81,NA,10.81,,4.64,26.98,26.98,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,91862143,,Rpl b1 flp/prostc plate skl,A,,13.80,11.79,NA,11.79,,5.63,31.22,31.22,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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