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Draining A Brain Abscess At The Back Of The Head

Iowa rates for HCPCS 61321

Opens the skull at the back of the head to reach a pocket of infection in the lower rear part of the brain and drain the pus out of it. Emptying the collection quickly lowers the pressure it is putting on the brain and lets antibiotics work on what remains. It is done under general anesthesia and is followed by a long course of antibiotics.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Draining A Brain Abscess At The Back Of The Head cost?

$8,935

Typical total for the visit. In Iowa, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $8,935 for this procedure. That total is two separate charges: $3,311 to the doctor who performs it, and $5,623 to the hospital or surgery center where it takes place. Done somewhere without a facility charge, you pay only the first.

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.

What's inside this number

Part of the billTypicalRange
Physician feeThe doctor who performs it$3,311$2,455 to $5,623
Facility feeThe hospital or surgery center$5,623$3,715 to $6,761

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $5,623 · 10th to 90th $2,884 to $7,943Professionalmedian $3,311 · 10th to 90th $1,905 to $12,023
$1K$2K$5K$10K$20Kfacility $5,623professional $3,311

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
$2,884.03
Median
$6,456.54
Typical High
$11,481.54
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,819.70
Median
$2,884.03
Typical High
$12,022.64
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4,168.69
Median
$4,677.35
Typical High
$5,623.41
Hally Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,995.26
Median
$3,548.13
Typical High
$7,413.10
Medica
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2,818.38
Median
$4,677.35
Typical High
$7,244.36
Medica
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2,290.87
Median
$4,073.80
Typical High
$15,135.61
Midlands
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4,466.84
Median
$4,786.30
Typical High
$6,760.83
Midlands
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4,168.69
Median
$5,754.40
Typical High
$6,606.93
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
$1,995.26
Median
$3,235.94
Typical High
$6,309.57
Wellmark
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3,235.94
Median
$4,168.69
Typical High
$4,897.79

Where Iowa sits

The same service costs 10.5 times more in Maine than in Maryland. 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.

Physician feeFacility fee

Iowa· 17th of 50

$8,935

$3,311 physician + $5,623 facility

ME $29,867MD $2,848

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.