Billing code 61320: Abscess drainageMedicare rate & RVUs in Georgia
Reports open cranial drainage of an abscess above the tentorium, such as a brain abscess treated through craniotomy or craniectomy.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61320 in Georgia.
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 61320 covers
This service involves opening the skull to reach and drain an intracranial abscess in the supratentorial compartment. A neurosurgeon typically performs it in an operating room when the collection requires open surgical access; material may be collected for culture as part of treating the infection. The anatomic distinction is whether the abscess lies above the tentorium, not its size or the side of the head.
Select this code when the operative report supports both open cranial access and drainage of a supratentorial abscess. Document the abscess location, approach, and drainage performed. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the following 90 days. If 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 for this service. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team-surgery payment is 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.
Where 61320 pays more and less in Georgia
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | Unavailable | $1,923.67 |
| Rest Of Georgia | Unavailable | $1,846.70 |
How the 61320 rate is calculated
Each of 61320’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 · 61320
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work26.73
26.73 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense17.13
17.13 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice11.14
11.14 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
55.0000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,837.05
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61320
61320 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 61320
Abscess drainage
| 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) | 0 | Not 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 · 61320
Abscess drainage
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
61320 without 51 · national facility
$1,837.05
Abscess drainage
61320-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$918.53
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%).
61320 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 61321Abscess drainage
- Both codes describe open drainage of an intracranial abscess; choose by location, with 61321 for the infratentorial compartment.
- 61750Brain biopsy
- This code describes open cranial drainage of a supratentorial abscess. 61750 describes stereotactic treatment of an intracranial lesion through a burr-hole approach.
- 61304Exploratory craniotomy
- 61304 describes supratentorial exploration. Use 61320 when the operative service includes open drainage of a supratentorial abscess.
61320 billing questions
How does this code differ from 61321?
Use 61320 for an abscess above the tentorium. Code 61321 describes drainage of an abscess in the infratentorial compartment.
When might 61750 be considered instead?
61750 may describe stereotactic biopsy or aspiration of an intracranial lesion using a burr-hole approach. This code is for open cranial access to drain a supratentorial abscess.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should identify the abscess as supratentorial and describe the open cranial approach and drainage performed.
Are related postoperative visits separately reported?
Related postoperative care during the 90-day global period is included, as is the preoperative visit on the day before surgery.
How are other procedures in the same session affected?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full; other procedures in that session are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service.
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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