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Burr Holes In The Skull, Back Of The Head

Iowa rates for HCPCS 61253

Drills one or more small round openings through the skull at the back of the head, below the level of the brain's main lobes, over the cerebellum and the brainstem region. Through them the surgeon can inspect, take a sample, or let out blood or fluid. It may be the whole operation or the opening step of a larger one, and may be done on one or both sides.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Burr Holes In The Skull, Back Of The Head cost?

$1,950

Typical negotiated rate. In Iowa, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $1,950 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $1,445 from a physician practice, and about $5,370 from a hospital or other facility. The two figures are alternatives, not parts of one bill.

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 7 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

Where it's billed changes the price

Billed byTypicalRange
Physician practiceA doctor's office, clinic or independent provider$1,445$1,122 to $2,570
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$5,370$2,089 to $6,761

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $5,370 · 10th to 90th $1,349 to $7,943Professionalmedian $1,445 · 10th to 90th $871 to $5,754
$1K$2K$5K$10Kfacility $5,370professional $1,445

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,348.96
Median
$6,456.54
Typical High
$11,481.54
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$851.14
Median
$1,348.96
Typical High
$5,754.40
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,905.46
Median
$2,137.96
Typical High
$2,691.53
Hally Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$954.99
Median
$1,548.82
Typical High
$2,570.40
Medica
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,584.89
Median
$2,238.72
Typical High
$7,244.36
Medica
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,023.29
Median
$1,819.70
Typical High
$7,079.46
Midlands
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,949.84
Median
$2,238.72
Typical High
$2,951.21
Midlands
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,445.44
Median
$2,691.53
Typical High
$3,090.30
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2,137.96
Median
$5,623.41
Typical High
$8,128.31
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$933.25
Median
$1,445.44
Typical High
$2,884.03
Wellmark
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,584.89
Median
$1,995.26
Typical High
$2,344.23

Where Iowa sits

The same service costs 7.4 times more in California than in Vermont. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Touch or drag across it to read any state, then open that state for its carriers and full range.

Iowa· 9th of 51

$1,950

CA $6,918VT $933

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.