Billing code 62270: Lumbar punctureMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports a diagnostic lumbar puncture to collect cerebrospinal fluid or measure pressure during evaluation of neurologic or infectious conditions.
Medicare pays $188.04 for 62270 in the office in Alaska (Alaska*). Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 62270 covers
A clinician places a needle into the lumbar subarachnoid space to obtain cerebrospinal fluid for testing or to measure cerebrospinal fluid pressure. Neurologists, emergency physicians, hospitalists, and other qualified practitioners commonly perform the procedure in an office, emergency department, or hospital. Typical indications include evaluation for meningitis, subarachnoid hemorrhage, inflammatory disease, or disorders involving raised intracranial pressure.
Choose this code for a diagnostic lumbar puncture without fluoroscopic or CT guidance. Use the documented reason for the procedure, lumbar access, and diagnostic purpose to support the claim; fluid tubes or laboratory tests do not represent additional punctures. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies its standard reduction to the others. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeons and team surgery 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.
62270 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | $188.04 | $74.92 |
How the 62270 rate is calculated
Each of 62270’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 · 62270
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.19Practice expense 3.46Malpractice 0.29
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 62270
The CMS indicators that decide how 62270 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 62270
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
62270 without 51 · national office
$165.00
Lumbar puncture
62270-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$82.50
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%).
62270 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
62270 vs 62328 vs 62272 vs 62284: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 62328Lumbar puncture
- Both codes describe diagnostic lumbar access, but 62328 is selected when fluoroscopic or CT guidance is used.
- 62272Therapeutic lumbar puncture
- 62270 is for diagnostic evaluation, including fluid collection or pressure measurement; 62272 is for therapeutic cerebrospinal fluid drainage.
- 62284Myelogram injection
- 62284 reports lumbar injection of contrast for myelography or CT cisternography; 62270 reports a diagnostic puncture for cerebrospinal fluid evaluation.
62270 billing questions
How does this differ from code 62328?
Use 62270 for a diagnostic lumbar puncture without fluoroscopic or CT guidance. Code 62328 is for a diagnostic lumbar puncture performed with fluoroscopic or CT guidance.
When should 62272 be reported instead?
Use 62272 when the purpose is therapeutic drainage of cerebrospinal fluid. Code 62270 represents a diagnostic puncture, such as obtaining fluid for evaluation or measuring pressure.
Can each cerebrospinal fluid tube be billed as a separate unit?
No. Multiple collection tubes from one lumbar puncture do not represent multiple punctures. Report laboratory testing separately when those tests are performed.
Should modifier 50 be used for bilateral lumbar punctures?
No. Medicare's bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
How does Medicare handle this with another procedure in the same session?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces payment for the other procedures. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in this code's 0-day global period.
What documentation supports reporting 62270?
Document the diagnostic indication, lumbar access, and the procedure performed, including fluid collection or pressure measurement when applicable. The record should distinguish diagnostic evaluation from therapeutic drainage.
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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