No office rate
Both codes address excision of a tumor from skull bone. Choose 61564 when the procedure includes the reconstruction specified by that code; 61563 is for excision without that reconstruction.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
61563 Skull tumor excision Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Reports craniectomy to remove a tumor arising in the skull, such as a calvarial lesion, when the procedure does not include skull reconstruction. Compare 61563 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Colorado.
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 61563 in Colorado?
Colorado 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
$1893.76
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Colorado
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 61563: Cranial bone tumor excision
Reports craniectomy to remove a tumor arising in the skull, such as a calvarial lesion, when the procedure does not include skull reconstruction.
The surgeon removes the portion of skull containing a tumor, rather than operating on a tumor arising within brain tissue. Typical cases include a primary cranial bone tumor or a metastatic deposit involving the calvarium. A neurosurgeon or another surgeon qualified to perform cranial surgery generally performs the operation in a hospital operating room. The resulting specimen is submitted for pathologic examination; the operative report should identify the skull site and describe the bone resection.
Report 61563 when the tumor is excised from the skull without the reconstruction described by its sibling code, 61564. Documentation should establish the tumor’s location in cranial bone and the extent of the craniectomy. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 61563
- 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 RVU27.73 · 48%
- Practice expense (office) RVU18.31 · 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.
61563 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
61510 is for qualifying supratentorial brain tumor excision. Choose 61563 when the tumor arises in cranial bone and the bone is removed.
No office rate
61545 concerns excision of a brain tumor. 61563 concerns tumor removal from the skull itself, not brain tissue.
Compare 61563 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
Colorado →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1893.76
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
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 61563 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,813
- Code
- 61563
- Physician work
- 27.73
- Practice expense
- 18.31
- Malpractice
- 11.72
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 27.73 | × 1.012 | 28.0628 |
| Practice expense | 18.31 | × 1.064 | 19.4818 |
| Malpractice | 11.72 | × 0.781 | 9.1533 |
| Total RVUs | 56.6979 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Colorado$1893.76
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 27.73 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 18.31 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 11.72 | 0.781 |
(27.73 × 1.012 + 18.31 × 1.064 + 11.72 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $1893.76
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.
61563 billing questions
How do I distinguish 61563 from 61564?
Use 61563 for skull tumor excision without the reconstruction described by 61564. The operative report should make clear whether reconstruction was performed.
Is this the code for removing a tumor from brain tissue?
No. This code concerns a tumor arising in the skull bone. A tumor arising within brain tissue is coded according to its site and the procedure performed.
Can modifier 50 be reported for bilateral skull tumors?
No. The bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure rule, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to a 50% reduction.
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.
6,81061557,,Incise skull/sutures,A,,22.73,17.76,NA,17.76,,9.60,50.09,50.09,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,81161558,,Excision of skull/sutures,A,,25.84,18.61,NA,18.61,,10.92,55.37,55.37,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,81261559,,Excision of skull/sutures,A,,33.17,23.00,NA,23.00,,14.00,70.17,70.17,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,81361563,,Excision of skull tumor,A,,27.73,18.31,NA,18.31,,11.72,57.76,57.76,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,81461564,,Excision of skull tumor,A,,33.87,21.68,NA,21.68,,14.30,69.85,69.85,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
3401112,CA,69,VISALIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3501112,CA,70,YUBA CITY,1.017,1.096,0.536
3601112,CA,75,REST OF CALIFORNIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3704112,CO,01,COLORADO,1.012,1.064,0.781
3813102,CT,00,CONNECTICUT,1.020,1.077,1.210
3912202,DC,01,DC + MD/VA SUBURBS,1.054,1.178,1.113
4012102,DE,01,DELAWARE,1.005,0.988,0.899