Billing code 61611: Vessel surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports intracranial vessel or cavernous sinus transection or ligation performed as an adjunct to a primary cranial operation.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61611 in Texas.
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 61611 covers
This add-on represents transection or ligation of an intracranial artery, the cavernous sinus, or another intracranial vessel during a primary cranial operation. A neurosurgeon or skull-base surgeon may perform it in the operating room when vessel or sinus management is part of the operative treatment, rather than a separate endovascular service. The operative report should identify the structure treated and describe the transection or ligation as an adjunct to the primary procedure.
Report 61611 only with an eligible primary procedure; it is not a stand-alone service. CMS treats its payment as part of the primary procedure’s global period, so the add-on is included within that global surgical episode. Documentation should establish both the primary cranial operation and the additional vessel or sinus work. The code is not a substitute for a primary lesion-resection code or for a separately performed endovascular procedure.
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 61611 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | Unavailable | $421.01 |
| Beaumont | Unavailable | $412.38 |
| Brazoria | Unavailable | $406.03 |
| Dallas | Unavailable | $414.61 |
| Fort Worth | Unavailable | $415.09 |
| Galveston | Unavailable | $411.07 |
| Houston | Unavailable | $466.71 |
| Rest Of Texas | Unavailable | $413.04 |
How the 61611 rate is calculated
Each of 61611’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 · 61611
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 7.22Practice expense 2.53Malpractice 3.04
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61611
The CMS indicators that decide how 61611 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 61611
Vessel surgery
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| 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. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 80 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
61611 without 80 · national facility
$427.20
Vessel surgery
61611-80 · Assistant: 16%
$68.35
A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.
61611 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
61611 vs 61600 vs 61601 vs 61624: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 61600Skull base resection
- 61600 reports resection or excision of a lesion in the extradural anterior cranial fossa. 61611 reports adjunctive vessel or sinus transection or ligation and requires a primary procedure.
- 61601Skull base resection
- 61601 describes intradural anterior cranial fossa lesion resection. Use 61611 only for separately documented adjunctive vessel or sinus transection or ligation.
- 61624CNS embolization
- 61624 is catheter-based permanent occlusion or embolization of a central nervous system vessel; 61611 is operative transection or ligation adjunctive to a cranial procedure.
61611 billing questions
Can 61611 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with a qualifying primary procedure.
What documentation supports the add-on?
The operative report should identify the intracranial vessel or cavernous sinus and describe the transection or ligation performed in addition to the primary operation.
How does the global period affect payment?
CMS pays 61611 within the primary procedure’s global period; it is not a separate stand-alone payment outside that surgical episode.
Is 61611 the same as endovascular vessel treatment?
No. It describes operative transection or ligation as an adjunct to a cranial procedure, not catheter-based embolization or occlusion.
Should it be reported with a cranial lesion resection?
It may be reported when the documented primary cranial operation qualifies and the vessel or sinus work is performed as an adjunct. The operative record must support both services.
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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