Billing code 62268: Cord cyst drainageMedicare rate & RVUs in Utah
Reports percutaneous aspiration or drainage of a spinal cord cyst, such as a syrinx, when the target is the cyst rather than disc or cerebrospinal fluid.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 62268 in Utah.
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 62268 covers
A neurosurgeon typically performs this percutaneous procedure to aspirate or drain a fluid-filled cyst within the spinal cord, such as a syrinx. It is distinct from draining cerebrospinal fluid through a spinal puncture and from aspirating material in an intervertebral disc. The service is generally performed in a procedural setting equipped for spinal access.
Choose the code when the documented target is a spinal cord cyst and the procedure uses a percutaneous approach. The operative report should identify the cyst’s location, the approach, and the aspiration or drainage performed. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. 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. Modifier 50 is inappropriate; assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not 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.
62268 in Utah
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | Unavailable | $305.73 |
How the 62268 rate is calculated
Each of 62268’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 · 62268
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 4.61Practice expense 2.98Malpractice 1.94
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 62268
The CMS indicators that decide how 62268 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 62268
Cord cyst drainage
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is 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) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
62268 without 51 · national facility
$318.31
Cord cyst drainage
62268-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$159.16
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%).
62268 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
62268 vs 62267 vs 62269 vs 62272: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 62267Disc aspiration
- Select 62267 when the percutaneous target is an intervertebral disc. Select 62268 when the target is a cyst within the spinal cord.
- 62269Spinal cord biopsy
- 62269 describes percutaneous needle biopsy of the spinal cord for tissue sampling; 62268 describes aspiration or drainage of a spinal cord cyst.
- 62272Therapeutic lumbar puncture
- 62272 is therapeutic spinal puncture to drain cerebrospinal fluid. It does not describe drainage of a cyst within the spinal cord.
62268 billing questions
How is this different from 62269?
62268 is for percutaneous aspiration or drainage of a spinal cord cyst. Use 62269 when the percutaneous spinal cord procedure is a needle biopsy to obtain tissue.
How is this different from 62267?
62267 targets an intervertebral disc for aspiration or injection. 62268 targets a cyst within the spinal cord.
Is modifier 50 appropriate for cysts on both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; modifier 50 should not be used.
Is same-day care included in the payment?
Yes. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS restricts assistant-at-surgery payment for this code and does not permit co-surgeon or team-surgery reporting.
What documentation supports reporting 62268?
Document that the target was a spinal cord cyst, its location, the percutaneous approach, and the aspiration or drainage performed. The record should distinguish the cyst from an intervertebral disc or cerebrospinal fluid.
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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