$153.44
Choose 62270 for a diagnostic spinal puncture, such as CSF collection for testing; choose 62272 when the purpose is therapeutic drainage.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
62272 Therapeutic lumbar puncture Medicare reimbursement rates in Wisconsin
Reports a spinal puncture performed to drain cerebrospinal fluid therapeutically, such as to relieve elevated pressure rather than obtain diagnostic samples. Compare 62272 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Wisconsin.
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 62272 in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin 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
$199.62
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Wisconsin
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$73.23
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Wisconsin
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.
Spinal procedures
About 62272: Therapeutic spinal fluid drainage
Reports a spinal puncture performed to drain cerebrospinal fluid therapeutically, such as to relieve elevated pressure rather than obtain diagnostic samples.
A clinician uses a spinal puncture to drain cerebrospinal fluid for treatment, rather than primarily to collect a diagnostic specimen. A typical situation is therapeutic lumbar drainage for pressure relief in a patient with idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Neurologists, neurosurgeons, and other clinicians who perform spinal procedures may provide the service in an office, hospital, or other facility setting.
Report the code for the therapeutic drainage procedure, supported by documentation of the indication and the drainage performed. Record the puncture site and technique, along with pressure measurements or the amount removed when obtained. The code has 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 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 62272
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU1.54 · 24%
- Practice expense (office) RVU4.48 · 69%
- Malpractice RVU0.47 · 7%
2.9K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2196 by national volume
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.
62272 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Wisconsin, from the same CMS release.
$163.18
62273 treats a CSF leak with an epidural blood patch; it is not the code for draining CSF through a spinal puncture.
No office rate
62223 establishes a brain-cavity shunt for CSF diversion, whereas 62272 describes therapeutic drainage by spinal puncture.
Compare 62272 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
Wisconsin →
Office / nonfacility
$199.62
Facility
$73.23
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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 62272 in Wisconsin.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,949
- Code
- 62272
- Physician work
- 1.54
- Practice expense
- 4.48
- Malpractice
- 0.47
GPCI2026.csv
111
- Locality
- Wisconsin
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.958
- Malpractice
- 0.308
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 1.54 | × 1.000 | 1.5400 |
| Practice expense | 4.48 | × 0.958 | 4.2918 |
| Malpractice | 0.47 | × 0.308 | 0.1448 |
| Total RVUs | 5.9766 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Wisconsin$199.62
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.54 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 4.48 | 0.958 |
| Malpractice | 0.47 | 0.308 |
(1.54 × 1 + 4.48 × 0.958 + 0.47 × 0.308) × $33.4009 = $199.62
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.54 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.53 | 0.958 |
| Malpractice | 0.47 | 0.308 |
(1.54 × 1 + 0.53 × 0.958 + 0.47 × 0.308) × $33.4009 = $73.23
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.
62272 billing questions
How does 62272 differ from diagnostic spinal puncture 62270?
Use 62272 when the puncture is performed to drain CSF therapeutically. Use 62270 when the puncture is diagnostic, such as for CSF sampling.
Is 62272 reported per milliliter of CSF removed?
No. Report the therapeutic puncture service, not a separate unit for each milliliter drained.
What documentation supports 62272?
Document the clinical reason for therapeutic drainage and that drainage was performed. Include the site and technique, and record fluid volume or pressure findings when obtained.
Should modifier 50 be used for drainage at multiple sites?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
How does Medicare treat other procedures performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full; other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. An assistant at surgery is not paid, and co-surgeons and team surgery are 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.
6,94662268,,Drain spinal cord cyst,A,,4.61,2.98,NA,2.98,,1.94,9.53,9.53,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,94762269,,Needle biopsy spinal cord,A,,4.88,1.31,NA,1.31,,0.46,6.65,6.65,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,94862270,,Dx lmbr spi pnxr,A,,1.19,3.46,,0.28,,0.29,4.94,1.76,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,94962272,,Ther spi pnxr drg csf,A,,1.54,4.48,,0.53,,0.47,6.49,2.54,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,95062273,,Inject epidural patch,A,,2.10,2.84,,0.75,,0.21,5.15,3.06,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,95162280,,Treat spinal cord lesion,A,,2.56,6.90,,1.26,,0.26,9.72,4.08,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,95262281,,Treat spinal cord lesion,A,,2.59,4.63,,1.29,,0.20,7.42,4.08,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
10802402,WA,02,SEATTLE (KING CNTY),1.050,1.227,0.817
10902402,WA,99,REST OF WASHINGTON,1.013,1.053,0.761
11011402,WV,16,WEST VIRGINIA,1.000,0.869,1.431
11106302,WI,00,WISCONSIN,1.000,0.958,0.308
11203602,WY,21,WYOMING**,1.000,1.000,0.740
113"MAC Assignments as of November 22, 2023",,,,,,
114,,,,,,