Both codes concern an infant subdural tap through a fontanelle or suture. Choose 61000 for the initial tap and 61001 for a subsequent tap.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
61000 Subdural tap Medicare reimbursement rates in Michigan
Reports drainage or aspiration of subdural fluid in an infant through an open fontanelle or cranial suture, whether one or both sides are treated. Compare 61000 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Michigan.
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 61000 in Michigan?
Michigan has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$110.64–$124.54
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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 61000: Infant subdural fluid tap
Reports drainage or aspiration of subdural fluid in an infant through an open fontanelle or cranial suture, whether one or both sides are treated.
A neurosurgeon uses access through an infant’s open fontanelle or a cranial suture to reach the subdural space and remove fluid. The service may be performed for a subdural fluid collection; the target is the subdural compartment, not a brain ventricle or the cisterns. The code covers treatment of one or both sides.
Report 61000 for the initial tap; use 61001 for a subsequent tap. Documentation should identify the infant, the subdural target, the access route, and whether one or both sides were treated. This minor procedure has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. The code is priced as bilateral, so modifier 50 does not increase payment. Medicare does not pay for an assistant at surgery; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 61000
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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
- The code is already priced as bilateral; modifier 50 does not increase payment.
- Assistant at surgery
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU1.54 · 46%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.15 · 35%
- Malpractice RVU0.64 · 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.
61000 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Michigan, from the same CMS release.
61020 accesses a brain ventricle in an infant. Use 61000 when the fluid being tapped is in the subdural space.
61050 concerns access to the cisternal space. Code 61000 is for an infant subdural tap through a fontanelle or suture.
Compare 61000 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Detroit →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$124.54
Rest Of Michigan →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$110.64
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61000 billing questions
When should 61000 be chosen instead of 61001?
Use 61000 for the initial infant subdural tap. Code 61001 represents a subsequent tap.
Does 61000 include treatment on both sides?
Yes. The code is priced as bilateral, and modifier 50 does not increase payment.
Is same-day postoperative care separately reported?
No. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
How does the multiple-procedure rule affect 61000?
For procedures performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others 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.
