No office rate
Both address a skull defect under 5 cm, but 62146 includes reconstruction with the patient’s own bone; 62140 is for cranioplasty without that autograft.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
62146 Cranioplasty Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Reconstructs a cranial defect under 5 cm using the patient’s own bone, such as after a craniectomy or traumatic skull injury. Compare 62146 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 62146 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
$1226.37
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 62146: Small cranial defect reconstruction with autograft
Reconstructs a cranial defect under 5 cm using the patient’s own bone, such as after a craniectomy or traumatic skull injury.
A neurosurgeon uses the patient’s own bone to rebuild a skull defect measuring less than 5 cm in diameter. The graft may be used to restore cranial protection and contour after a prior craniectomy, traumatic injury, or removal of bone during treatment of an intracranial condition. This procedure is typically performed in an operating room in a hospital or other surgical facility.
Report this code when the documented repair includes an autograft and the defect meets the code’s size criterion; document the defect measurement and the use of the patient’s bone. The service 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 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 62146
- 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 RVU16.85 · 45%
- Practice expense (office) RVU13.27 · 36%
- Malpractice RVU7.10 · 19%
73
Medicare services in 2024 · #5123 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.
62146 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
62141 describes cranioplasty without autograft for a defect greater than 5 cm. For 62146, the defect is under 5 cm and an autograft is used.
No office rate
Both include autograft cranioplasty. Choose 62146 for a defect under 5 cm and 62147 for a defect greater than 5 cm.
Compare 62146 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
$1226.37
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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 62146 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,920
- Code
- 62146
- Physician work
- 16.85
- Practice expense
- 13.27
- Malpractice
- 7.10
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 16.85 | × 1.012 | 17.0522 |
| Practice expense | 13.27 | × 1.064 | 14.1193 |
| Malpractice | 7.10 | × 0.781 | 5.5451 |
| Total RVUs | 36.7166 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Colorado$1226.37
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 16.85 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 13.27 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 7.1 | 0.781 |
(16.85 × 1.012 + 13.27 × 1.064 + 7.1 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $1226.37
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.
62146 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from 62140?
62146 describes reconstruction using the patient’s own bone for a defect under 5 cm. 62140 is the corresponding small-defect cranioplasty without an autograft.
When should 62147 be considered?
Use 62147 for cranioplasty with autograft when the defect is greater than 5 cm in diameter. Document the measured defect and the graft used.
What documentation supports 62146?
The operative report should establish the defect’s diameter, the reconstruction performed, and that the graft was the patient’s own bone.
Can an assistant surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available for this procedure. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
How does the global period affect postoperative care?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.
Should modifier 50 be used for defects on both sides?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code; the descriptor and anatomy do not support bilateral adjustment.
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.
6,91762142,,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
6,91962145,,Repair of skull & brain,A,,19.59,13.57,NA,13.57,,7.74,40.90,40.90,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,92062146,,Crnop w/autograft<5 cm diam,A,,16.85,13.27,NA,13.27,,7.10,37.22,37.22,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,92162147,,Crnop w/autograft>5 cm diam,A,,20.15,12.79,NA,12.79,,7.85,40.79,40.79,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,92262148,,Retr bone flap to fix skull,A,,1.95,0.68,NA,0.68,,0.82,3.45,3.45,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,92362160,,Neuroendoscopy add-on,A,,2.93,1.02,NA,1.02,,1.21,5.16,5.16,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,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