Billing code 61782: Cranial navigationMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Reports computer-assisted navigation used during an extradural cranial operation to help the surgeon guide instruments using patient-specific imaging.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 61782 in Washington.
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 61782 covers
This add-on describes computer-assisted navigation during cranial surgery performed outside the dura. The surgeon uses a registered imaging dataset and tracked instruments to orient the operative approach or guide work around structures such as the skull base. It may support an extradural anterior cranial fossa operation, including a craniofacial approach, when navigation is actually used. Neurosurgeons and other surgeons performing cranial procedures may use it in an operating room.
Report 61782 with the qualifying primary cranial procedure, not by itself. Documentation should identify the navigation service and its use during the extradural operation; routine review of imaging alone does not establish that the navigation service was performed. Select this code for extradural cranial navigation rather than the intradural cranial or spinal navigation sibling. CMS treats it as an add-on paid within the primary procedure's global period, so it is not a separately payable service outside that global period.
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 61782 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | Unavailable | $143.31 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | Unavailable | $152.42 |
How the 61782 rate is calculated
Each of 61782’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 · 61782
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 3.10Practice expense 0.76Malpractice 0.46
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 61782
The CMS indicators that decide how 61782 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 61782
Cranial navigation
| 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) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
61782 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
61782 vs 61781 vs 61783 vs 61751: national Medicare rates
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How to choose
- 61781Cranial navigation
- Use 61782 for extradural cranial navigation and 61781 for intradural cranial navigation. The distinction is the operative compartment.
- 61783Spinal navigation
- 61783 describes computer-assisted navigation for spinal procedures; 61782 is limited to extradural cranial procedures.
- 61751Brain biopsy
- 61751 describes stereotactic intracranial biopsy with CT and/or MR guidance. 61782 is an add-on for navigation during an extradural cranial operation, not a biopsy code.
61782 billing questions
How is 61782 different from 61781?
61782 is for computer-assisted navigation during an extradural cranial procedure. Use 61781 when the navigated cranial procedure is intradural.
Can 61782 be reported by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with a qualifying primary procedure.
What documentation supports reporting 61782?
The operative record should establish that computer-assisted navigation was used during the extradural cranial procedure. Merely reviewing preoperative images does not describe the navigation service.
Is 61782 separately payable outside the primary procedure's global period?
No. CMS pays this add-on within the primary procedure's global period.
Is 61782 the right code for spinal navigation?
No. 61782 is for extradural cranial navigation; 61783 is the spinal navigation sibling.
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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