Billing code 61512: Meningioma excisionMedicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Reports cranial surgery to remove a meningioma above the tentorium, using a craniectomy, trephination, or bone-flap approach.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61512 in Oregon.
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 61512 covers
A neurosurgeon uses a cranial opening—by craniectomy, trephination, or bone flap—to reach and remove a meningioma located above the tentorium. These operations are generally performed in a hospital operating room. The code distinguishes a supratentorial meningioma from other brain tumors and from meningiomas in the posterior fossa or cerebellopontine angle.
Choose this code when the operative report supports both meningioma excision and a supratentorial location. Documentation should identify the lesion, its location, and the approach and excision performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur 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 made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation. Team surgery is not permitted, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
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.
Where 61512 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Unavailable | $2,435.77 |
| Rest Of Oregon | Unavailable | $2,309.78 |
How the 61512 rate is calculated
Each of 61512’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 · 61512
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 36.21Practice expense 22.34Malpractice 15.21
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61512
61512 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 61512
Meningioma excision
| 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) | 0 | Not 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 · 61512
Meningioma excision
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
61512 without 51 · national facility
$2,463.65
Meningioma excision
61512-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,231.83
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%).
61512 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
61512 vs 61510 vs 61519 vs 61518: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 61510Brain tumor excision
- Use 61512 for a supratentorial meningioma. Code 61510 describes supratentorial brain tumor excision when the tumor is not a meningioma.
- 61519Meningioma removal
- Both codes concern meningioma excision, but 61512 is for a supratentorial location and 61519 for an infratentorial location.
- 61518Brain tumor excision
- Code 61518 describes infratentorial brain tumor excision, excluding meningioma and cerebellopontine-angle tumor; 61512 is for supratentorial meningioma.
61512 billing questions
How is this distinguished from code 61510?
Both describe supratentorial tumor surgery using a cranial opening. Code 61512 is for a meningioma; code 61510 is for a supratentorial brain tumor other than a meningioma.
Does the lesion location determine whether this code applies?
Yes. The meningioma must be supratentorial. A meningioma located infratentorially is represented by a different code.
What documentation supports reporting 61512?
The operative report should establish the meningioma diagnosis, its supratentorial location, and the excision and cranial approach performed.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
Can assistant or co-surgeon services be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. 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 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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