Summary & Overview
CPT 61510: Craniectomy/Craniotomy for Supratentorial Brain Tumor
Headline: Craniectomy for Supratentorial Brain Tumor (CPT 61510) Remains Core Neurosurgical Procedure
Lead: CPT 61510 denotes a craniectomy or craniotomy to excise a supratentorial brain tumor (excluding meningioma), a high-acuity neurosurgical intervention with significant clinical and billing implications across inpatient and ambulatory surgical settings.
What this code represents and why it matters: CPT 61510 captures definitive surgical management for many intracranial neoplasms located above the tentorium. As a primary operative code for tumor excision, it influences clinical workflow, resource allocation, and payment pathways for complex neurosurgical care nationally.
Key payers covered: This analysis addresses common national payers including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.
Overview of what readers will learn: The publication provides a concise clinical and billing overview of CPT 61510, describes typical sites of service, and situates the code among related cranial procedure codes. Readers will find context on common clinical indications, the procedural setting, typical billing modifiers used with craniotomy procedures, and how CPT 61510 compares to adjacent CPT codes for other supratentorial cranial procedures. The piece highlights operational considerations relevant to coding, claims submission, and payer coverage discussions.
Limitations: Service-line metadata required for some benchmarking items is not provided. Data not available in the input.
CPT Code Overview
CPT 61510 describes a craniectomy or craniotomy for excision of a supratentorial brain tumor, except meningioma. This procedure is categorized under neurosurgery / craniotomy procedures and involves surgical opening of the skull to remove an intracranial tumor located in the supratentorial compartment. Typical sites of service for CPT 61510 are Hospital Inpatient (POS 21) and Ambulatory Surgery Center (POS 24).
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Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 58-year-old patient presents with progressive headaches, focal neurological deficits and imaging demonstrating a supratentorial mass suspicious for a primary brain neoplasm. The patient is admitted to the hospital (POS 21) for preoperative evaluation including MRI brain with contrast, neurosurgical consultation, anesthesia assessment, and medical optimization. On the planned operative day the patient is taken to the operating room or ambulatory surgery center (POS 24) for a craniectomy/craniotomy to excise the supratentorial brain tumor. Intraoperative neuronavigation and microsurgical techniques are used, and postoperative monitoring occurs in a neurosurgical ward or intensive care unit as indicated. Pathology is obtained intraoperatively and submitted for final diagnosis; postoperative imaging confirms the extent of resection and guides subsequent oncologic or neurologic management.
Coding Specifications
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Modifiers
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62- Two Surgeons: Used when two surgeons from different surgical specialties or when the complexity requires two primary surgeons who each perform distinct components of the procedure. -
80- Assistant Surgeon: Used when an assistant surgeon provides surgical assistance to the primary surgeon; typically billed by the assistant surgeon and appended to the primary procedure code when payer policy allows. -
Provider Taxonomies