No office rate
Both involve burr-hole or trephine access in a stereotactic neurosurgical context. Select based on the specific procedure described in the operative report, not the access alone.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
61250 Brain exploration Medicare reimbursement rates in Vermont
Reports stereotactic exploration of the brain through a burr hole or trephine, when that operative approach is performed by a neurosurgeon. Compare 61250 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Vermont.
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 61250 in Vermont?
Vermont has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$801.56
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Vermont
One mapped payment locality.
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.
Neurosurgery
About 61250: Stereotactic brain exploration through burr hole
Reports stereotactic exploration of the brain through a burr hole or trephine, when that operative approach is performed by a neurosurgeon.
This code describes a neurosurgical procedure using a burr hole or trephine to access and explore the brain with stereotactic guidance. It is distinct from a burr hole made to place a ventricular catheter or subcutaneous reservoir, and from a procedure whose defined purpose is stereotactic biopsy or lesion removal. The neurosurgeon’s operative report should identify the stereotactic exploration and the cranial access performed.
Report the service for the documented exploration, including the burr-hole or trephine access; do not separately report that access as an independent procedure. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, which includes 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. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, CMS pays this procedure at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 61250
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- 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 RVU11.20 · 42%
- Practice expense (office) RVU10.51 · 40%
- Malpractice RVU4.73 · 18%
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.
61250 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Vermont, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
This code is for stereotactic exploration. Use 61750 when the service documented is stereotactic biopsy, aspiration, or excision of an intracranial lesion.
No office rate
61210 describes burr-hole access for placement of a ventricular catheter. It is not the code for stereotactic brain exploration.
Compare 61250 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.
1 of 1 payment localities
Vermont →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$801.56
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 61250 in Vermont.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,755
- Code
- 61250
- Physician work
- 11.20
- Practice expense
- 10.51
- Malpractice
- 4.73
GPCI2026.csv
105
- Locality
- Vermont
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.990
- Malpractice
- 0.506
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 11.20 | × 1.000 | 11.2000 |
| Practice expense | 10.51 | × 0.990 | 10.4049 |
| Malpractice | 4.73 | × 0.506 | 2.3934 |
| Total RVUs | 23.9983 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Vermont$801.56
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 11.2 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 10.51 | 0.99 |
| Malpractice | 4.73 | 0.506 |
(11.2 × 1 + 10.51 × 0.99 + 4.73 × 0.506) × $33.4009 = $801.56
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
61250 billing questions
How is this different from stereotactic biopsy?
This code describes stereotactic brain exploration through burr-hole or trephine access. When the documented service is stereotactic biopsy, aspiration, or excision of an intracranial lesion, compare the service with 61750.
Can the burr hole be billed separately?
The burr-hole or trephine access is part of this service. The operative note should support the stereotactic exploration and the access performed.
Is this code subject to a global period?
Yes. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How should bilateral procedures be reported?
For a bilateral procedure, report modifier 50; CMS pays this code at 150%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. 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 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.
6,75261156,,Burr hol aspir hmtm/cst icer,A,,17.01,12.52,NA,12.52,,7.12,36.65,36.65,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,75361210,,Burr hole implt ventr cath,A,,5.68,1.99,NA,1.99,,2.38,10.05,10.05,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,75461215,,Ins subq rsvr pmp/nfs sys,A,,5.70,8.59,NA,8.59,,2.40,16.69,16.69,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,75561250,,Burr hole/treph sttl expl,A,,11.20,10.51,NA,10.51,,4.73,26.44,26.44,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,75661253,,Burr hole treph ittl uni/bi,A,,13.15,11.20,NA,11.20,,5.54,29.89,29.89,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,2,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,75761304,,Crnec/crnot expl supratntorl,A,,22.82,15.82,NA,15.82,,9.53,48.17,48.17,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,75861305,,Crnec/crnot expl infratntorl,A,,27.92,18.95,NA,18.95,,11.81,58.68,58.68,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
10204412,TX,18,HOUSTON,1.008,0.993,1.376
10304412,TX,99,REST OF TEXAS,1.000,0.949,0.903
10403502,UT,09,UTAH,1.000,0.940,0.898
10514512,VT,50,VERMONT,1.000,0.990,0.506
10611302,VA,00,VIRGINIA,1.000,0.983,0.706
10709202,VI,50,VIRGIN ISLANDS,1.000,1.011,0.985
10802402,WA,02,SEATTLE (KING CNTY),1.050,1.227,0.817