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Skull Base Surgical Approach

Colorado rates for HCPCS 61596

This service is a surgical approach used to reach a tumor or growth located deep at the base of the skull, an area that is otherwise difficult to access. It is performed as one stage of a larger operation, opening a pathway so the growth itself can be removed in the same procedure or a following one. This kind of surgery generally requires a team with specialized head and neck or neurosurgical training.

Rates data updated October 2026.

How much does Skull Base Surgical Approach cost?

$16,813

Typical total for the visit. In Colorado, October 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $16,813 for this procedure. That total is two separate charges: $3,631 to the doctor who performs it, and $13,183 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$3,631$2,951 to $4,786
Facility feeThe hospital or surgery center$13,183$2,884 to $16,596

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $13,183 · 10th to 90th $1,000 to $21,380Professionalmedian $3,631 · 10th to 90th $2,455 to $5,495
$1K$2K$5K$10K$20Kfacility $13,183professional $3,631

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,570.40
Median
$5,495.41
Typical High
$8,912.51
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,344.23
Median
$2,344.23
Typical High
$3,311.31
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$9,772.37
Median
$15,135.61
Typical High
$25,703.96
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,884.03
Median
$3,981.07
Typical High
$5,888.44
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$676.08
Median
$2,344.23
Typical High
$4,786.30
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,570.40
Median
$3,548.13
Typical High
$4,786.30
Denver HMP
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,344.23
Median
$3,019.95
Typical High
$5,248.07
Kaiser Permanente
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,089.30
Median
$3,019.95
Typical High
$4,466.84
Select Health
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,089.30
Median
$4,168.69
Typical High
$4,466.84
Select Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$1,479.11
Median
$2,089.30
Typical High
$4,073.80
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$645.65
Median
$1,380.38
Typical High
$7,762.47
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$2,818.38
Median
$3,467.37
Typical High
$5,623.41
6 more rates with less common billing modifiers

A modifier changes what was billed, for example a reduced or repeated service. Each of these modifiers carries under 10% of the published rates for this code. Modifier combinations, and modifiers with fewer than 30 rates for a carrier, are not listed.

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
52 · Reduced service
Typical Low
$1,174.90
Median
$1,174.90
Typical High
$1,445.44
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
53 · Discontinued
Typical Low
$467.74
Median
$467.74
Typical High
$575.44
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
54 · Surgery only
Typical Low
$1,778.28
Median
$1,778.28
Typical High
$2,137.96
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
55 · Aftercare only
Typical Low
$354.81
Median
$354.81
Typical High
$426.58
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
56 · Pre-op care only
Typical Low
$234.42
Median
$234.42
Typical High
$288.40
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
78 · Unplanned return to OR
Typical Low
$1,659.59
Median
$1,659.59
Typical High
$1,995.26

Where Colorado sits

The same service costs 13.0 times more in Maine than in Washington. 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

Colorado· 3rd of 51

$16,813

$3,631 physician + $13,183 facility

ME $35,671WA $2,745

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.