61781 Scan proc cranial intra
What 61781 is
CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Scan proc cranial intra.
Full CPT long descriptions are licensed by the American Medical Association and are not published on this site; the short descriptor above is the one CMS prints in its own fee schedule file. See About CPT.
Medicare payment for 61781 (CY2026)
| Work RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 3.66 | 1.27 | 1.51 | 6.44 | $215.10 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 3.66 | 1.27 | 1.51 | 6.44 | $215.10 |
National rates: total RVUs x the CY2026 conversion factor of 33.4009 (non-QP), before geographic adjustment. Actual Medicare payment is 80% of the rate shown after the deductible; the patient or secondary payer owes the 20% coinsurance.
Status: Active - payable under the Physician Fee Schedule. Global period: Add-on code: global period of the primary procedure applies.
Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)
Medicare caps 61781 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 3 - date of service edit (clinical): units above the MUE may pay with documentation on appeal), rationale: Nature of Service/Procedure. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.
Billed with 61781? These codes are bundled into it
61781 is a Column 1 code in 52 active NCCI PTP edits. When one of these Column 2 codes is reported on the same date of service, it is denied as bundled - unless the edit's modifier indicator is 1 and documentation supports a distinct service with an NCCI-associated modifier.
| Column 2 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
0054T | Bone srgry cmptr fluor image | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
0055T | Bone srgry cmptr ct/mri imag | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
0333T | Visual ep scr acuity auto | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
0464T | Visual ep test for glaucoma | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
20660 | Apply rem fixation device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
20661 | Application halo cranial | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
20985 | Cptr-asst dir ms px | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
36591 | Draw blood off venous device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
36592 | Collect blood from picc | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
61715 | Mrgfus strtctc ablt trgt icr | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
61782 | Scan proc cranial extra | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
61783 | Scan proc spinal | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
69990 | Microsurgery add-on | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
70557 | Mri brain w/o dye | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
70558 | Mri brain w/dye | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
70559 | Mri brain w/o & w/dye | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
76380 | Cat scan follow-up study | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
77012 | Ct scan for needle biopsy | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
77021 | Mri guidance ndl plmt rs&i | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
92652 | Aep thrshld est mlt freq i&r | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
92653 | Aep neurodiagnostic i&r | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
95822 | Eeg coma or sleep only | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
95860 | Needle emg 1 extremity | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
95861 | Needle emg 2 extremities | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
95863 | Needle emg 3 extremities | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
95864 | Needle emg 4 extremities | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
95865 | Needle emg larynx | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
95866 | Needle emg hemidiaphragm | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
95867 | Ndl emg cranial nrv musc uni | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
95868 | Ndl emg cranial nrv musc bi | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
Showing 30 of 52 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.
61781 is bundled into these codes
61781 appears as a Column 2 code in 36 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 61781 is the code that denies.
| Column 1 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
20696 | App mltpln uni xtrnl fix 1st | 1 | Check pair |
20697 | App mltpln uni xtrnl fix xch | 1 | Check pair |
22510 | Perq cervicothoracic inject | 1 | Check pair |
22511 | Perq lumbosacral injection | 1 | Check pair |
61697 | Brain aneurysm repr complx | 1 | Check pair |
61698 | Brain aneurysm repr complx | 1 | Check pair |
61720 | Incise skull/brain surgery | 1 | Check pair |
61735 | Incise skull/brain surgery | 1 | Check pair |
61736 | Litt icr 1 traj 1 smpl les | 1 | Check pair |
61737 | Litt icr mlt trj mlt/cplx ls | 1 | Check pair |
61750 | Incise skull/brain biopsy | 0 | Check pair |
61751 | Brain biopsy w/ct/mr guide | 0 | Check pair |
61760 | Implant brain electrodes | 1 | Check pair |
61770 | Incise skull for treatment | 1 | Check pair |
61790 | Treat trigeminal nerve | 1 | Check pair |
Data: CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule RVU file (October release, RVU26D) and Medicare NCCI PTP practitioner edits v32.3 (2026 Q4). Verify against the official files before billing or contracting decisions.