CPT code 62220 represents surgical placement of a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt from the brain’s ventricles to a venous or auricular drainage site to treat hydrocephalus and related conditions. This neurosurgical procedure is nationally significant due to the prevalence of hydrocephalus across age groups and the high resource use and care coordination required for shunt-dependent patients. The code may be reported when an open or tunneled shunt is created; an endoscopic technique is noted as an option in the procedure description.

Key payers considered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context, typical sites of service, and common billing considerations tied to 62220, plus benchmarking elements and policy-relevant updates where available. The publication highlights practice patterns relevant to hospitals and neurosurgery practices, coding variants to watch for, and areas where payer policy language can affect coverage and prior authorization workflows. Data not available in the input is flagged as such for readers seeking payer-specific rates, utilization statistics, or diagnosis mappings.