CPT 61151 Reimbursement & Benchmarks | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 61151: Aspiration of Brain Abscess or Cyst via Established Burr Hole

CPT code 61151 denotes the subsequent aspiration of an intracranial abscess or cyst through an already established burr hole in the skull. The code captures a focused neurosurgical intervention used to manage recurrent or persistent intracranial fluid collections without creating a new cranial opening. Nationally, this code matters for accurate reporting of neurosurgical follow-up procedures, utilization tracking of minimally invasive intracranial drainage, and alignment of clinical documentation with surgical service lines.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for when 61151 is used, common settings where the service is delivered, and typical billing considerations tied to neurosurgical follow-up care. The publication outlines benchmarks and coding guidance, highlights relevant policy updates where available, and situates the code within related postoperative and intracranial drainage services.

The report is intended for coding professionals, revenue cycle managers, and clinical leaders seeking clarity on documentation needs, payer expectations, and the operational implications of reporting CPT code 61151 for aspiration through an established burr hole.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicare61151CPTneurosurgeryintracranial-aspirationburr-holepostoperative-carehospital-proceduresambulatory-surgery

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 61151 describes the subsequent aspiration of an abscess or cyst located on or in the brain through an existing burr hole in the skull. This service is performed when a previously created cranial opening is used to access and aspirate a recurrent or persistent intracranial fluid collection.

Service type: Surgical aspiration through an established burr hole
Typical site of service: Inpatient or outpatient hospital setting, or ambulatory surgical center where neurosurgical procedures are performed

Data not available in the input.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 58-year-old patient with a history of a previously drained intracranial abscess presents with recurrent headache, fever, and focal neurological deficits. Imaging (contrast-enhanced MRI or CT) demonstrates reaccumulation of a localized intracerebral abscess or cyst at the site of the prior burr hole. The neurosurgeon plans a bedside or operating-room procedure to aspirate the lesion through the established burr hole to decompress the lesion and obtain purulent material for culture. Pre-procedure workflow includes review of imaging and prior operative notes confirming an existing burr hole, informed consent documenting risks specific to repeat aspiration, peri-procedural antibiotics as indicated, and coordination with anesthesia for monitored anesthesia care or general anesthesia depending on patient status. Post-procedure workflow includes neurologic monitoring, wound/burr-hole site assessment, antibiotic therapy guided by cultures, and follow-up imaging to confirm lesion reduction and to determine need for further surgical intervention.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`00`	Default/No modifier	Rarely appended; use when no other modifier applies and payer requires explicit code; generally not used on claims.
`11`

CPT 61215: Implantable Infusion Device Insertion for CSF or Chemotherapy

CPT-61108-CRANIAL-HEMATOMA-EVACUATION-BURR-HOLES

CPT 61108: Cranial Hematoma Evacuation (Burr Holes)

CPT-61156-BURR-HOLE-ASPIRATION-INTRACRANIAL-CYST-HEMATOMA

CPT 61156: Burr-Hole Aspiration of Intracranial Cyst or Hematoma

CPT-61120-CRANIAL-ACCESS-FOR-DIAGNOSTIC-INTRACRANIAL-INJECTION

CPT 61120: Cranial Access for Diagnostic Intracranial Injection

CPT-61107-BURR-HOLE-CRANIAL-ACCESS-INTRACRANIAL-DRAINAGE-MONITORING

CPT 61107: Burr-Hole Cranial Access for Intracranial Drainage/Monitoring

CPT-61253-INFRATENTORIAL-BURR-HOLE-INSPECTION

CPT 61253: Infratentorial Burr Hole Brain Inspection

CPT-61140-SKULL-BIOPSY-DRILLING-FOR-TISSUE-SAMPLE

CPT 61140: Skull Biopsy for Diagnostic Tissue Sampling

CPT-61154-NEUROSURGICAL-BURR-HOLE-HEMATOMA-EVACUATION

CPT 61154: Burr-Hole Evacuation of Intracranial Hematoma

CPT-61105-SKULL-DRILL-VENTRICULAR-SUBDURAL-FLUID-DRAINAGE

CPT 61105: Skull Opening for Ventricular or Subdural Fluid Drainage

CPT-61150-INTRACRANIAL-ABSCESS-CYST-DRAINAGE

CPT 61150: Surgical Drainage of Brain Abscess or Cyst

Showing 1–10 of 12

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2084N0400X	Neurological Surgery	Primary specialty performing intracranial aspiration through burr hole.
207L00000X	Emergency Medicine	May present initial acute neurologic infection and coordinate urgent transfer.
208D00000X	Diagnostic Radiology	Performs pre- and post-procedure imaging and potential image guidance.
207K00000X	Anesthesiology	Provides sedation or general anesthesia for the procedure when required.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`G06.0`	Intracranial abscess and granuloma	Primary indication for aspiration of a brain abscess through an established burr hole.
`G06.2`	Extradural and subdural abscess, intracranial and intraspinal	May represent related intracranial infectious collections requiring drainage or aspiration.
`I60.9`	Nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage, unspecified	Relevant when hemorrhagic complications or concomitant intracranial hemorrhage complicate management and may affect procedural approach.
`G06.1`	Subdural empyema	Indicates collection that may require aspiration or drainage through cranial access.
`B95.6`	Unspecified streptococcus as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere	Example organism code often linked to intracranial abscess microbiology and targeted antibiotic therapy.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`61150`	Drainage and/or extirpation of cyst or abscess, brain; initial burr hole or craniotomy	Performed if initial access to the lesion is required; `61151` is used for subsequent aspirations through an established burr hole.
`61618`	Craniotomy for excision of brain abscess or cyst	Used when definitive open surgical excision or wider debridement is required instead of bedside aspiration.
`69990`	Microsurgical techniques (list separately in addition to primary procedure)	May be reported when specialized microsurgical techniques or equipment are employed during aspiration.
`99152`	Moderate sedation services provided by the same physician/other qualified health care professional (initial 15 minutes) [Note: example sedation codes vary by payer and year]	Used when moderate/monitored anesthesia care is provided by the surgeon or other qualified provider during aspiration (check payer coding rules).
`77012`	CT guidance for localization and monitoring during intracranial procedure	Reported when real-time CT imaging guidance is used to localize or monitor the aspiration through the burr hole.

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