Billing code 62201: VentriculostomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Reports endoscopic creation of an internal cerebrospinal fluid pathway from the third ventricle, commonly to treat selected cases of obstructive hydrocephalus.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 62201 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 62201 covers
A neurosurgeon uses a ventricular endoscope to create an opening in the floor of the third ventricle, allowing cerebrospinal fluid to flow into the basal cisterns and bypass an obstruction. The procedure is used for selected patients with obstructive hydrocephalus, such as from aqueductal stenosis. It is generally performed in an operating room through a cranial access route; it creates an internal drainage pathway rather than implanting a shunt to another body cavity.
Report this code when the third-ventricle opening is created by neuroendoscopy. The operative report should support the endoscopic approach and the creation of the ventriculocisternostomy; a separately placed ventriculoperitoneal or ventriculoatrial shunt is a different service. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment is statutorily 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.
Where 62201 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | Unavailable | $1,206.71 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | Unavailable | $1,322.73 |
How the 62201 rate is calculated
Each of 62201’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 · 62201
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 15.64Practice expense 14.53Malpractice 6.55
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 62201
62201 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 62201
Ventriculostomy
| 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) | 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. |
| 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 · 62201
Ventriculostomy
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
62201 without 51 · national facility
$1,226.48
Ventriculostomy
62201-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$613.24
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%).
62201 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
62201 vs 62200 vs 62220 vs 62223: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 62200CSF shunt
- Choose 62201 when the third-ventricle opening is created by neuroendoscopy; 62200 describes the related procedure without that approach.
- 62220CSF shunt
- 62220 establishes a ventricular shunt to a venous destination. This code creates an internal cerebrospinal fluid pathway through the third-ventricle floor.
- 62223CSF shunt creation
- 62223 establishes a ventricular shunt to a body cavity, such as the peritoneum. This code creates an internal pathway without that shunt destination.
62201 billing questions
How does this differ from 62200?
This code is for creating the third-ventricle opening by neuroendoscopy. Code 62200 is the related non-endoscopic ventriculocisternostomy approach.
Is this the same as placing a ventriculoperitoneal shunt?
No. This procedure creates an internal route for cerebrospinal fluid through the third-ventricle floor; a ventriculoperitoneal shunt diverts fluid to the peritoneal cavity.
Does the 90-day global period include related postoperative care?
Yes. CMS includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care in the global period.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral performance?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
How does the multiple-procedure reduction work in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS lists a statutory restriction on assistant-at-surgery payment and does not permit co-surgeons or team surgery for this code.
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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