No office rate
61343 describes suboccipital decompression that includes cervical laminectomy for the medulla and spinal cord. Consider 61345 for a different posterior fossa decompression that does not match that specific service.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
61343 Posterior fossa decompression Medicare reimbursement rates in New York
Reports suboccipital and upper cervical bone removal to decompress the medulla and spinal cord, commonly for crowding at the foramen magnum. Compare 61343 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in New York.
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 61343 in New York?
New York has 5 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 5 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$1953.34–$2666.29
5 of 5 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 61343 pays more and less in New York
Neurosurgery
About 61343: Suboccipital decompression with cervical laminectomy
Reports suboccipital and upper cervical bone removal to decompress the medulla and spinal cord, commonly for crowding at the foramen magnum.
This operation removes bone at the base of the skull and from the upper cervical spine to relieve pressure on the lower brainstem and spinal cord. Neurosurgeons commonly perform it for symptomatic Chiari malformation with crowding at the foramen magnum. It is generally an operating-room procedure in a hospital or other surgical facility.
Select this code when the operative report supports posterior fossa decompression that includes cervical laminectomy for the cervicomedullary region. The report should identify the decompression performed and the relevant anatomy; the cervical bone removal is part of this operative service, not a separate laminectomy for the same decompression. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures 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. Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 61343
- 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 RVU31.06 · 49%
- Practice expense (office) RVU19.43 · 31%
- Malpractice RVU12.75 · 20%
248
Medicare services in 2024 · #4146 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.
61343 compared with similar codes
Office rates for New York, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
61340 is subtemporal decompression, not decompression at the foramen magnum with upper cervical bone removal.
No office rate
63045 describes cervical spinal decompression for a cervical spine condition. Use 61343 when the cervical laminectomy is part of the suboccipital cervicomedullary decompression.
Compare 61343 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.
5 of 5 payment localities
Manhattan →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$2533.36
Nyc Suburbs/Long Island →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$2666.29
Poughkpsie/N Nyc Suburbs →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$2310.04
Queens →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$2485.01
Rest Of New York →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1953.34
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61343 billing questions
When is 61343 preferable to another posterior fossa decompression code?
Use 61343 when the operative service is suboccipital decompression with cervical laminectomy to relieve pressure on the medulla and spinal cord. A different posterior fossa decompression may be classified under 61345 when it does not match that service.
Can the cervical laminectomy be billed separately?
The cervical bone removal performed as part of this cervicomedullary decompression is included in the service. Do not report a separate laminectomy for the same decompression.
Should modifier 50 be used for a bilateral procedure?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
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 services may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
How does Medicare handle other procedures performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure 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.
6,76861330,,Dcmprn orbit only transcrnl,A,,24.67,17.70,NA,17.70,,10.43,52.80,52.80,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,76961333,,Expl orbit w/removal lesion,A,,28.54,18.00,NA,18.00,,12.06,58.60,58.60,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,77061340,,Subtemporal cranial dcmprn,A,,19.61,14.86,NA,14.86,,8.28,42.75,42.75,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,77161343,,Crnec sopl crv lam dcmprn,A,,31.06,19.43,NA,19.43,,12.75,63.24,63.24,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,77261345,,Oth cranial dcmprn pst fossa,A,,28.50,19.03,NA,19.03,,12.04,59.57,59.57,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,77361450,,Crnec stpl sctj cmprn/dcmprn,A,,27.00,17.45,NA,17.45,,11.41,55.86,55.86,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,77461458,,Crnec sopl xpl/dcmpr crl nrv,A,,28.12,18.84,NA,18.84,,11.83,58.79,58.79,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00