CPT code 22853: Interbody device, with interbody arthrodesis2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports placement of a biomechanical device in an intervertebral disc space during fusion, counted once for each treated interspace.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 22853 in Texas.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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What 22853 covers
This code represents placement of a biomechanical implant, such as a cage, into an intervertebral disc space during an interbody fusion. The device helps maintain disc-space height and support the fusion; its integral anterior instrumentation for interspace distraction is part of the service. Spine surgeons, including orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons, commonly perform this work during cervical or lumbar fusion procedures in an operating room.
Report one unit for each interspace receiving a device, not for each implant placed within that space. The operative report should identify the treated disc spaces, device placement, and the associated interbody arthrodesis. This is an add-on code: submit it with the primary fusion procedure, not by itself. CMS pays it within the primary procedure’s global period.
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.
Where 22853 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX | Unavailable | $226.68 |
| Beaumont, TX | Unavailable | $221.49 |
| Brazoria, TX | Unavailable | $219.71 |
| Dallas, TX | Unavailable | $223.55 |
| Fort Worth, TX | Unavailable | $223.66 |
| Galveston, TX | Unavailable | $221.94 |
| Houston, TX | Unavailable | $246.28 |
| Rest of Texas | Unavailable | $222.14 |
How the 22853 rate is calculated
Each of 22853’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.
How the rate is built · 22853
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work4.14
4.14 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.38
1.38 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.33
1.33 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
6.8500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$228.80
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 22853
The CMS indicators that decide how 22853 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 22853
Interbody device, with interbody arthrodesis
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 2 | Permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 80 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
22853 without 80 · national facility
$228.80
Interbody device, with interbody arthrodesis
22853-80 · Assistant: 16%
$36.61
A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.
22853 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 22854Spinal cageCorpectomy defect with fusion
- Use 22853 for a device placed in an intervertebral disc space during arthrodesis. 22854 is for a vertebral body defect, such as a corpectomy defect.
- 22859Spinal implantWithout interbody fusion
- 22859 describes biomechanical device placement without interbody arthrodesis. 22853 is used when the device is placed as part of an interbody fusion.
- 22845Anterior fixationTwo to three vertebral segments
- 22845 represents anterior spinal instrumentation, while 22853 represents interbody device placement with integral anterior instrumentation for disc-space distraction.
22853 billing questions
How is 22853 distinguished from 22854?
22853 is for a biomechanical device placed in an intervertebral disc space during interbody arthrodesis. 22854 addresses device placement in a vertebral body defect, such as one created by corpectomy.
Can 22853 be reported without a fusion procedure?
No. It is an add-on code and must be billed with a primary procedure; the device placement is performed in conjunction with interbody arthrodesis.
How many units are reported when multiple cages are placed?
Count the treated interspaces. Report one unit per interspace, rather than one unit for each individual implant placed in the same space.
Does 22853 include the fusion itself?
No. It represents the biomechanical device placement. Report the applicable primary interbody fusion procedure separately.
What documentation supports 22853?
The operative report should identify each interspace treated, the device placed there, and the interbody arthrodesis performed at that level.
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
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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