Billing code 62010: Skull fracture treatmentMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Reports operative treatment of a depressed skull fracture when the work includes dural repair, brain debridement, or both.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 62010 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 62010 covers
This code applies to operative care of a depressed skull fracture that requires repair of the dura, debridement of injured brain tissue, or both. The surgeon treats the fracture and associated intracranial injury rather than performing only extradural elevation of a depressed fragment. Neurosurgeons typically perform the procedure in a hospital operating room after traumatic head injury; the operative report should describe the fracture, dural defect or brain injury, and the treatment actually performed.
Select this code based on the operative work, not simply the presence of a head injury or a depressed fracture. Document the dural repair and/or brain debridement, along with the fracture treatment. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When other procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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.
Where 62010 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | Unavailable | $1,484.34 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | Unavailable | $1,618.11 |
How the 62010 rate is calculated
Each of 62010’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 · 62010
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work20.89
20.89 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense15.74
15.74 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice8.81
8.81 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
45.4400
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,517.74
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 62010
62010 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 62010
Skull fracture treatment
| 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 · 62010
Skull fracture treatment
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
62010 without 51 · national facility
$1,517.74
Skull fracture treatment
62010-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$758.87
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%).
62010 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 62000Skull fracture surgery
- Choose 62000 for simple depressed-fracture treatment confined to the extradural work described by that code. Dural repair or brain debridement distinguishes 62010.
- 62005Skull fracture repair
- 62005 covers extradural treatment of a compound or comminuted depressed fracture. Use 62010 when the operation includes dural repair and/or brain debridement.
- 61312Hematoma evacuation
- 61312 describes evacuation of a supratentorial extradural or subdural hematoma. It is not a substitute for treatment of the depressed fracture with dural or brain work.
62010 billing questions
How does this differ from codes 62000 and 62005?
Use 62010 when treatment of the depressed fracture includes dural repair, brain debridement, or both. Codes 62000 and 62005 describe extradural fracture treatment, with the latter covering compound or comminuted fractures.
Can fracture elevation alone support 62010?
No. The operative work must include dural repair and/or debridement of brain tissue; elevation alone points to the applicable extradural fracture code.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should establish the depressed fracture and specify the dural repair, brain debridement, or both. Include the associated injury and the treatment 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. The global period follows the surgery even if the patient receives related care in another setting.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeons are paid only when supporting documentation is provided; 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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