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CPT 61520 — Removal of brain lesion

CPT code 61520 (Removal of brain lesion) carries 55.66 work RVUs under the CMS 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Total RVUs are 104.76 in a non-facility setting and 104.76 in a facility setting, which at the 2026 conversion factor of $33.40 works out to $3,499.08 and $3,499.08 respectively.

55.66
Work RVU
104.76
Total RVU (non-facility)
$3,499.08
Medicare, non-facility
$3,499.08
Medicare, facility
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RVU breakdown for CPT 61520

ComponentRVUsWhat it covers
Work RVU55.66Physician time, skill, effort, and stress.
Practice expense RVU (non-facility)27.93Office overhead, staff, supplies.
Practice expense RVU (facility)0.0Overhead when performed in a hospital.
Malpractice RVU21.17Professional liability cost.
Total RVU (non-facility)104.76Work + non-facility PE + malpractice.
Total RVU (facility)104.76Work + facility PE + malpractice.

How Medicare payment is calculated

Medicare multiplies total RVUs by the annual conversion factor. For CPT 61520 in 2026:

SettingTotal RVUConversion factorNational payment
Non-facility104.76$33.40$3,499.08
Facility104.76$33.40$3,499.08

These are national amounts. Actual payment is adjusted by the Geographic Practice Cost Index for your locality — check yours with the GPCI lookup.

Billing rules for CPT 61520

Global period
90-day global — major surgery; 90 days of follow-up care included.
Multiple procedure reduction
Subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction (100%/50%/50%…).
Bilateral surgery
Bilateral adjustment does not apply.
Assistant surgeon
Permitted.
Co-surgeon
Permitted.
Team surgery
Not permitted unless documentation supports medical necessity.

Questions about CPT 61520

How many work RVUs is CPT 61520?

CPT 61520 is assigned 55.66 work RVUs in the CMS 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

What does Medicare pay for CPT 61520?

At the 2026 national conversion factor of $33.40, CPT 61520 pays approximately $3,499.08 in a non-facility setting and $3,499.08 in a facility setting before geographic adjustment.

What is the global period for CPT 61520?

90-day global — major surgery; 90 days of follow-up care included.

RVU values reflect the CMS 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (conversion factor $33.40). Payment figures are national and unadjusted for geography. Verify against the official fee schedule before using for billing.