CPT code 22844: Spinal fixation, posterior, 13 or more segments2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Washington, DC area

In Washington, DC area, Medicare pays $953.99 for 22844 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 22844 nationwide

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 22844 covers

Code 22844 represents a long posterior fixation construct spanning at least 13 vertebral segments. An orthopedic spine surgeon or neurosurgeon may place rods, screws, or other fixation components during surgery for conditions such as major scoliosis or complex spinal deformity. These procedures are typically performed in a hospital operating room, often alongside spinal fusion or another primary spine procedure.

Select this code based on the number of vertebral segments instrumented, not the number of implants. The operative report should establish the posterior approach, the extent of the construct, and the primary procedure performed. Medicare treats 22844 as an add-on code: report it only with a primary procedure, and its payment falls within that procedure’s global period. It is not reported as a standalone service.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

How Washington, DC area compares for 22844

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 22844 runs from $755.08 in Wisconsin to $1,131.10 in Miami, FL. Washington, DC area pays $953.99. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

22844 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

See 22844 in every payment locality

How the 22844 rate is calculated

Each of 22844’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for 22844

The CMS indicators that decide how 22844 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 80

Codes related to 22844

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

How 22844 has changed in Washington, DC area

Price 22844 for an earlier date of service

Where the Washington, DC area rate applies

Washington, DC area is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 1 cities and communities in District of Columbia. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Washington

Browse all communities in District of Columbia

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates