CPT 62000 Elevation of Depressed Skull Fracture Reimbursement | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 62000: Elevation of Closed Depressed Skull Fracture via Burr Hole

CPT code 62000 designates the surgical elevation of a closed, depressed skull fracture via a burr hole without dural penetration. This neurosurgical intervention addresses inward displacement of cranial bone that compresses or risks injury to underlying brain tissue. Nationally, accurate coding for this procedure is important for clinical documentation, hospital surgical scheduling, and payer adjudication for acute trauma care. Key payers commonly involved in coverage decisions include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise explanation of the procedure and typical care setting, guidance on common billing considerations, and context for how the code fits within neurosurgical service lines. The publication outlines benchmark topics such as typical site of service and service type, highlights common modifiers used with surgical CPT codes when available, and discusses relevant clinical scenarios that prompt use of the code. Data not available in the input is noted where payer-specific rates, associated taxonomies, and ICD-10 diagnosis pairings would normally appear. This summary is intended for billing professionals, practice managers, and health policy analysts seeking a clear, national-level overview of CPT code 62000 and its role in acute cranial fracture management.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCignaUnitedHealthcareMedicare62000CPTneurosurgerycranial fracturesurgical-procedureoperating-roomtrauma-care

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 62000 describes a surgical procedure to treat a closed, depressed skull fracture in which the provider creates a burr hole in the scalp and elevates the inwardly displaced segment of skull bone that has not breached the dura mater. The procedure is a surgical repair of a depressed cranial fracture performed without opening the dura.

Service type: Surgical — Cranioplasty / cranial fracture elevation.

Typical site of service: Operating room or inpatient surgical suite, often within a hospital setting for acute neurosurgical care.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is an adult or adolescent who sustained a localized depressed skull fracture from blunt head trauma (e.g., fall, assault, motor vehicle collision). The patient presents to the emergency department with an obvious scalp laceration or palpable skull depression and localized tenderness without imaging evidence of dural penetration. Head CT confirms a closed depressed skull fracture that is inwardly displaced but does not breach the dura and there is no significant intracranial hemorrhage requiring craniotomy. Neurosurgery is consulted for operative elevation of the depressed bone fragment. Preoperative workflow includes neurological assessment, CT imaging review, informed consent, perioperative antibiotics, and anesthesia evaluation. In the operating room under general anesthesia, the surgical team creates a small scalp incision and a burr hole at the fracture site, elevates the depressed bone fragment to restore cranial contour and relieve focal pressure, achieves hemostasis, irrigates, and closes the wound. Postoperative care includes monitoring neurologic status, wound care, pain control, and short inpatient observation or discharge with follow-up for incision check and neuro exam. Typical sites of service are the hospital operating room or ambulatory surgery center depending on patient stability and comorbidities. Common payors for preauthorization and billing follow standard commercial and public payer workflows including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, BUCA, and Medicare.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`23`

CPT 62121: Repair of Skull Base Encephalocele, Craniotomy

CPT-62141-CRANIAL-BONE-REMOVAL-AND-SKULL-DEFECT-REPAIR-GREATER-THAN-5CM

CPT 62141: Cranial Bone Removal and Skull Defect Repair >5 cm

CPT-62148-CRANIOPLASTY-RETRIEVAL-AUTOLOGOUS-CRANIAL-BONE-GRAFT

CPT 62148: Cranioplasty Using Previously Stored Autologous Cranial Bone Graft

CPT-62117-CRANIAL-RECONSTRUCTION-SKULL-RECONTOURING

CPT 62117: Cranial Reconstruction for Craniomegaly

CPT-62100-CRANIAL-DURAL-REPAIR-CSF-LEAK

CPT 62100: Cranial Dural Repair for Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak

CPT-62010-DEPRESSED-SKULL-FRACTURE-ELEVATION-DURA-REPAIR

CPT 62010: Elevation of Depressed Skull Fracture with Dura Repair

CPT-62120-CRANIAL-VAULT-REPAIR-SKULL-DEFECT-RECONSTRUCTION

CPT 62120: Cranial Vault Repair and Skull Defect Reconstruction

CPT-62143-CRANIAL-BONE-FLAP-OR-PROSTHETIC-SKULL-PLATE-REPLACEMENT

CPT 62143: Replacement of Bone Flap or Prosthetic Skull Plate

CPT-62142-CRANIAL-IMPLANT-BONE-FLAP-REMOVAL

CPT 62142: Removal of Bone Flap or Prosthetic Skull Plate

CPT-62115-CRANIAL-SKULL-REDUCTION-CRANIOMEGALY

CPT 62115: Reduction of Enlarged Skull (Craniomegaly)

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Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2080S00000X	Neurological Surgery	Primary specialty performing burr hole elevation of depressed skull fractures.
207L00000X	Emergency Medicine	Often involved in initial evaluation and stabilization; coordinates neurosurgical consult.
2084P0800X	Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery	May participate when complex scalp or calvarial reconstruction is required post-elevation.
208D00000X	General Surgery	May be involved in trauma centers when neurosurgical resources are limited or during multidisciplinary trauma care.
208000000X	Anesthesiology	Provides perioperative anesthesia management for `62000` procedures.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`S02.61XA`	Displaced fracture of vault of skull, initial encounter for closed fracture	Most common code for a closed depressed skull fracture requiring elevation without dural penetration.
`S02.60XA`	Fracture of skull, unspecified, initial encounter for closed fracture	Used when the precise skull fracture location is unspecified but a closed fracture is treated with elevation.
`S02.91XA`	Fracture of facial bones, unspecified, initial encounter for closed fracture	May be used when facial bone fractures accompany a depressed skull fracture in trauma.
`S06.0X0A`	Concussion without loss of consciousness, initial encounter	Often used when concussion symptoms accompany a depressed skull fracture.
`S06.5X0A`	Traumatic subdural hemorrhage without loss of consciousness, initial encounter	Included when there is a small subdural hematoma associated with the skull fracture requiring monitoring or concurrent intervention.
`S01.81XA`	Laceration without foreign body of other part of head, initial encounter	Used when scalp laceration is present and managed at the time of surgical elevation.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`61130`	Craniotomy for elevation of depressed skull fracture; supratentorial	Performed when a larger bone fragment or intradural involvement requires open craniotomy rather than closed elevation; alternative or escalation from `62000`.
`61520`	Craniectomy or craniotomy, supratentorial; for traumatic intracranial hemorrhage, evacuation	Related when intracranial hemorrhage is present and evacuation is required in addition to or instead of elevation of depressed bone.
`12032`	Repair, intermediate, wounds of scalp, arms, and/or legs; 2.5 cm to 7.5 cm	Commonly billed for layered closure of scalp lacerations associated with the fracture when performed separately from `62000`.
`11042`	Debridement, subcutaneous tissue (includes epidermis and dermis), first 20 sq cm or less	Used when significant scalp or soft-tissue debridement is required before elevation of the depressed skull fragment.
`99152`	Anesthesia for procedures on the head; anesthesia complex (Note: anesthesia codes have separate reporting per payer)	Represents anesthesia services typically provided during `62000`; billed by anesthesia provider or included in facility billing as appropriate.

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