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    v1.0.30
    OpenPayerBilling CodesDiseases and Disorders of the Nervous SystemDRG 026-craniotomy-and-endovascular-intracranial-procedures-with-cc
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    Craniotomy and Endovascular Intracranial Procedures with CC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    DRG 026 encompasses craniotomy and endovascular intracranial procedures with Complication or Comorbidity, covering a range of open and endovascular intracranial interventions complicated by an additional diagnosis. This classification matters for inpatient reimbursement because the Complication or Comorbidity status adjusts Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services payment to reflect higher resource use and clinical complexity.

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    DRG 026 Overview

    Diagnosis-Related Group 026 covers craniotomy and endovascular intracranial procedures with Complication or Comorbidity and includes patients undergoing open or endovascular interventions for intracranial pathology where a Complication or Comorbidity is present. This category captures cases such as tumor resections, aneurysm repairs, arteriovenous malformation treatments, and other intracranial surgical or endovascular procedures when an additional clinical complexity is coded. It matters for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services payment because the presence of a Complication or Comorbidity adjusts relative resource intensity and influences inpatient reimbursement. Accurate assignment ensures the hospital’s Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group payment aligns with the clinical severity and resources used.

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    Clinical Trials

    • Acute surgical and endovascular intervention trials studying timing and technique for hemorrhage control and vascular lesion repair in patients undergoing craniotomy or intracranial endovascular procedures: these studies enroll patients presenting with intracranial hemorrhage from ruptured aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, or traumatic brain injury and compare immediate decompressive craniectomy versus targeted endovascular occlusion strategies or combined approaches. They focus on procedural success, early neurologic outcomes, and in-hospital complications, which is directly relevant to providers and payers because procedural choices drive length of stay, intensive care resource use, and short‑term cost and morbidity for DRG 026 cases.
    • Comparative effectiveness and perioperative management trials evaluating anesthesia techniques, intraoperative monitoring, and blood pressure or anticoagulation management in complex cranial and endovascular cases with major comorbidities (the CC component): these trials target heterogeneous inpatient populations including older adults and patients with cardiac, pulmonary, or coagulopathy issues to determine which perioperative protocols reduce intraoperative complications, transfusion needs, and postoperative intensive care utilization. Findings inform best practices that can lower complication rates and downstream resource consumption relevant to payers and hospital case-mix adjustment under this DRG.
    • Post-discharge outcomes and rehabilitation studies assessing functional recovery, readmission rates, and long-term neurologic outcomes after craniotomy or endovascular intracranial procedures with complications: these prospective cohort studies follow survivors from discharge through 90 days to one year to measure functional status, need for home health or skilled nursing, and causes of readmission. Results are important for providers and payers because they identify interventions that reduce readmissions and downstream costs, improve discharge planning, and help predict total cost of care associated with DRG 026 admissions.

    Related Codes

    020-INTRACRANIAL-VASCULAR-PROCEDURES-WITH-PRINCIPAL-DIAGNOSIS-HEMORRHAGE-WITH-MCC

    Intracranial Vascular Procedures with Principal Diagnosis Hemorrhage with MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    021-INTRACRANIAL-VASCULAR-PROCEDURES-WITH-PRINCIPAL-DIAGNOSIS-HEMORRHAGE-WITH-CC

    Intracranial Vascular Procedures with Principal Diagnosis Hemorrhage with CC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    022-INTRACRANIAL-VASCULAR-PROCEDURES-WITH-PRINCIPAL-DIAGNOSIS-HEMORRHAGE-WITHOUT-CC-MCC

    Intracranial Vascular Procedures with Principal Diagnosis Hemorrhage without CC/MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    023-CRANIOTOMY-WITH-MAJOR-DEVICE-IMPLANT-OR-ACUTE-COMPLEX-CNS-PRINCIPAL-DIAGNOSIS-WITH-MCC-OR-ANTINEOPLASTIC-IMPLANT-OR-EPILEPSY-WITH-NEUROSTIMULATOR

    Craniotomy with Major Device Implant or Complex CNS DRG 023: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    024-CRANIOTOMY-WITH-MAJOR-DEVICE-IMPLANT-OR-ACUTE-COMPLEX-CNS-PRINCIPAL-DIAGNOSIS-WITHOUT-MCC

    Craniotomy with Major Device Implant or Acute Complex CNS Principal Diagnosis without MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    025-CRANIOTOMY-AND-ENDOVASCULAR-INTRACRANIAL-PROCEDURES-WITH-MCC

    Craniotomy and Endovascular Intracranial Procedures with MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    027-CRANIOTOMY-AND-ENDOVASCULAR-INTRACRANIAL-PROCEDURES-WITHOUT-CC-MCC

    Craniotomy and Endovascular Intracranial Procedures without CC/MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    028-SPINAL-PROCEDURES-WITH-MCC

    Spinal Procedures with MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    029-SPINAL-PROCEDURES-WITH-CC-OR-SPINAL-NEUROSTIMULATORS

    Spinal Procedures with CC or Spinal Neurostimulators: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    030-SPINAL-PROCEDURES-WITHOUT-CC-MCC

    Spinal Procedures without CC/MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

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    References

    1. 1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
    2. 2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
    3. 3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.
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