CPT 61020 Ventricular puncture through previous burr hole, fontanelle, suture, or implanted ventricular catheter/reservoir
Last reviewed: May 17, 2026
RVU Values (CMS PFS RVU26C July 2026)
Common Modifiers
None typically required
Related ICD-10 Codes
G91.9
Billing Tips
When billing CPT 61020, ensure your operative note clearly documents the procedure performed, clinical indication, and any complications or additional work that would support modifier usage. Always verify the code against the current AMA CPT Professional Edition before claim submission.
For multi-procedure cases, use our Case Builder to automatically calculate adjusted wRVUs with proper MPPR ranking.
Documentation and Coding Notes
AdSense readiness coding note: CPT 61020 should be treated as an educational starting point, not a final billing instruction. For ventricular puncture through previous burr hole, fontanelle, suture, or implanted ventricular catheter/reservoir, the operative note or procedure note should clearly support the approach, anatomic site, laterality when relevant, clinical indication, and any separately reportable services.
Before submitting a claim or logging the case, compare CPT 61020 with adjacent codes in the same family, confirm current AMA CPT language, check CMS/NCCI edits, and verify payer-specific bundling rules. Modifier use should be tied to documentation rather than added only to bypass an edit.
Common audit checks for neurosurgery cases include whether the documented work matches the code descriptor, whether add-on services are separately supported, whether a global period applies, and whether ICD-10 diagnosis pairing supports medical necessity.
Related CPT Codes in Neurosurgery
CPT 61510 — Craniectomy, trephination, bone flap craniotomy; for excisio CPT 61313 — Craniectomy or craniotomy, evacuation of hematoma, supratent CPT 61314 — Craniectomy or craniotomy, evacuation of hematoma, supratent CPT 61315 — Craniectomy or craniotomy, evacuation of hematoma, supratent CPT 61700 — Surgery of intracranial aneurysm, intracranial approach; car CPT 61680 — Surgery of intracranial arteriovenous malformation; supratenUse our free interactive decision tree with 500+ codes across 30 specialties
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