Billing code 61615: Skull lesion surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs in Ohio
Reports surgical removal of an extradural neoplastic, vascular, or infectious skull lesion when the procedure includes craniectomy.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61615 in Ohio.
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 61615 covers
A neurosurgeon removes a neoplastic, vascular, or infectious lesion involving the skull from outside the dura, including the craniectomy needed to reach and excise it. A typical setting is facility-based surgery for a calvarial lesion requiring operative removal. The operative report should establish the lesion’s location and nature, the extradural operative plane, and the skull removal and excision performed.
Choose this code for an extradural skull lesion, not for an intradural lesion or a lesion at a separately defined cranial site. The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the major-surgery global period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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.
61615 in Ohio
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | Unavailable | $2,721.30 |
How the 61615 rate is calculated
Each of 61615’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 · 61615
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work34.88
34.88 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense34.76
34.76 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice14.74
14.74 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
84.3800
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$2,818.37
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61615
61615 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 61615
Skull lesion surgery
| 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) | 2 | 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 · 61615
Skull lesion surgery
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
61615 without 51 · national facility
$2,818.37
Skull lesion surgery
61615-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,409.19
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%).
61615 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 61616Skull-base resection
- The key distinction is the operative relationship to the dura: 61615 covers extradural skull-lesion removal, while 61616 is for an intradural lesion.
- 61600Skull base resection
- 61600 is for lesions at specified parasellar or adjacent cranial sites; 61615 addresses an extradural lesion of the skull.
- 61500Skull lesion excision
- 61500 describes craniectomy for a benign skull tumor or cyst. 61615 covers extradural neoplastic, vascular, or infectious skull lesions and includes craniectomy.
61615 billing questions
How does 61615 differ from 61616?
61615 is for an extradural skull lesion removed with craniectomy. Use 61616 when the skull lesion is intradural and the procedure includes dural work.
Is craniectomy included in 61615?
Yes. The code includes the craniectomy performed as part of resecting or excising the extradural lesion.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. The descriptor and anatomy make a bilateral adjustment inappropriate for 61615.
What postoperative care is included?
The major-surgery 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 made. Co-surgeons are paid only when supporting documentation is provided.
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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