No office rate
61550 applies to release of one cranial suture. Report 61552 when the operative documentation supports treatment of multiple sutures.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
61552 Suture release Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Reports operative release of multiple prematurely fused cranial sutures in a patient with craniosynostosis, generally performed by a neurosurgeon or craniofacial surgeon. Compare 61552 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Kentucky.
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 61552 in Kentucky?
Kentucky 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
$1395.84
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
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 61552: Multiple-suture craniosynostosis release
Reports operative release of multiple prematurely fused cranial sutures in a patient with craniosynostosis, generally performed by a neurosurgeon or craniofacial surgeon.
This operation treats craniosynostosis when more than one cranial suture has fused prematurely, limiting skull growth or contributing to an abnormal head shape. A neurosurgeon, often working with a craniofacial surgical team, removes or opens bone along the affected suture lines to release the restriction. It is typically performed in a hospital operating room, often for an infant or child whose skull growth is affected by the fused sutures.
Select this code when the operative report supports release of multiple cranial sutures; the documented extent of the operation distinguishes it from a single-suture release. The record should identify the sutures treated and describe the operative work. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
CMS billing rules for 61552
- 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 RVU19.89 · 45%
- Practice expense (office) RVU16.01 · 36%
- Malpractice RVU8.38 · 19%
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.
61552 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
61556 describes a skull or suture incision procedure. Use 61552 for the multiple-suture craniosynostosis release when that is the operation documented.
No office rate
61558 describes a skull or suture excision procedure. Distinguish it from 61552 by the specific operation documented, rather than assuming the codes are interchangeable.
Compare 61552 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
Kentucky →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1395.84
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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 61552 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,808
- Code
- 61552
- Physician work
- 19.89
- Practice expense
- 16.01
- Malpractice
- 8.38
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 19.89 | × 1.000 | 19.8900 |
| Practice expense | 16.01 | × 0.889 | 14.2329 |
| Malpractice | 8.38 | × 0.915 | 7.6677 |
| Total RVUs | 41.7906 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Kentucky$1395.84
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 19.89 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 16.01 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 8.38 | 0.915 |
(19.89 × 1 + 16.01 × 0.889 + 8.38 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $1395.84
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.
61552 billing questions
How is 61552 distinguished from 61550?
61552 is for release involving multiple cranial sutures. Use 61550 when the documented operation treats a single cranial suture.
What documentation supports reporting 61552?
The operative report should identify the fused sutures treated and describe the release performed. The documented extent should support a multiple-suture operation.
Does the 90-day global period include related postoperative care?
Yes. It includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
Should modifier 50 be used for release on both sides?
No. The descriptor and anatomy make a bilateral adjustment inappropriate for 61552.
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.
6,80561546,,Removal of pituitary gland,A,,32.60,20.47,NA,20.47,,13.77,66.84,66.84,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,80661548,,Removal of pituitary gland,A,,22.79,13.62,NA,13.62,,8.11,44.52,44.52,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,80761550,,Release of skull seams,A,,15.20,14.87,NA,14.87,,6.41,36.48,36.48,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,80861552,,Release of skull seams,A,,19.89,16.01,NA,16.01,,8.38,44.28,44.28,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,80961556,,Incise skull/sutures,A,,23.49,16.82,NA,16.82,,9.92,50.23,50.23,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,81061557,,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
5208102,IN,00,INDIANA,1.000,0.927,0.486
5305102,IA,00,IOWA,1.000,0.915,0.397
5405202,KS,00,KANSAS,1.000,0.904,0.504
5515102,KY,00,KENTUCKY,1.000,0.889,0.915
5607202,LA,01,NEW ORLEANS,1.000,0.941,1.136
5707202,LA,99,REST OF LOUISIANA,1.000,0.885,0.958
5814112,ME,03,SOUTHERN MAINE,1.000,0.991,0.631