No office rate
61550 is for release of one fused cranial suture; 61552 is for an operation involving multiple sutures.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
61550 Craniosynostosis surgery Medicare reimbursement rates in Missouri
Reports surgical release of one prematurely fused cranial suture, typically in a patient with craniosynostosis undergoing corrective surgery. Compare 61550 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Missouri.
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 61550 in Missouri?
Missouri has 3 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 3 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$1144.36–$1195.05
3 of 3 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.
Where 61550 pays more and less in Missouri
Cranial surgery
About 61550: Single-suture craniosynostosis release
Reports surgical release of one prematurely fused cranial suture, typically in a patient with craniosynostosis undergoing corrective surgery.
This procedure releases one prematurely fused cranial suture by removing a strip of bone along the affected seam. It is commonly performed on infants or children with craniosynostosis by a neurosurgeon or craniofacial surgeon in an operating room. The operative plan may address a sagittal, coronal, metopic, or lambdoid suture; the documented number of sutures treated and the actual technique guide code selection.
Report 61550 when the operation releases a single suture, rather than multiple sutures or a more extensive reconstruction. The operative report should identify the fused suture and describe the bone removal and extent of release. Medicare assigns 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 procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted. Modifier 50 is inappropriate.
CMS billing rules for 61550
- 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 RVU15.20 · 42%
- Practice expense (office) RVU14.87 · 41%
- Malpractice RVU6.41 · 18%
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.
61550 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Missouri, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Choose 61550 for single-suture release. Code 61556 describes a craniosynostosis operation involving a bifrontal bone flap with forehead advancement or remodeling.
No office rate
61550 describes release of one suture; 61558 is used for a more extensive craniosynostosis reconstruction involving orbital advancement.
Compare 61550 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.
3 of 3 payment localities
Metropolitan Kansas City →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1183.24
Metropolitan St. Louis →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1195.05
Rest Of Missouri →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1144.36
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61550 billing questions
When should 61550 be chosen over 61552?
Use 61550 when the operation releases one fused cranial suture. Use 61552 when multiple cranial sutures are treated.
What documentation supports 61550?
The operative report should identify the fused suture and describe the craniectomy and release performed. It should make clear that the operation addressed a single suture.
Does Medicare allow modifier 50 for this procedure?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to 61550, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
Are related postoperative visits included?
Yes. The 90-day global period 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.
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.
6,80461545,,Excision of brain tumor,A,,45.27,27.50,NA,27.50,,19.10,91.87,91.87,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,80561546,,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