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CPT code 22857: Lumbar disc replacement, single interspace2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports anterior placement of an artificial disc at one lumbar interspace after discectomy and endplate preparation, preserving motion rather than fusing the segment.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities51 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,568.84 for 22857 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 22857

Lumbar disc replacement, single interspace

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
26.45
Total RVUs
46.97
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,568.84

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 22857 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 22857 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 22857 covers

A spine surgeon, commonly an orthopedic spine surgeon or neurosurgeon, removes the lumbar disc through an anterior approach, prepares the vertebral endplates, and places an artificial disc prosthesis at one interspace. The operation is generally performed in a hospital or ambulatory surgery setting for selected patients with symptomatic lumbar degenerative disc disease. The work includes the discectomy, endplate preparation, and associated osteophyte removal described for the procedure.

Report 22857 for the primary lumbar interspace; use 22860 for each additional lumbar interspace when applicable. The operative report should identify the lumbar level, anterior approach, disc removal and endplate preparation, and prosthesis placement. CMS includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care in the 90-day global period. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this single spinal interspace. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made, co-surgeons are permitted, and team-surgery payment is not permitted.

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 22857 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

22857 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,425.06
AlaskaUnavailable$1,958.46
ArizonaUnavailable$1,526.34
ArkansasUnavailable$1,407.51
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$1,617.25
Austin, TXUnavailable$1,578.02
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$1,559.84
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$1,663.85
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$1,510.73
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$1,530.06

22857 rates by state

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

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
22857 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 22857 rate is calculated

Each of 22857’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 · 22857

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work26.45

26.45 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense14.89

14.89 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice5.63

5.63 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

46.9700

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,568.84

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 22857

22857 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 22857

Lumbar disc replacement, single interspace

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)2Permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.69/0.21Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 22857

Lumbar disc replacement, single interspace

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

22857 without 51 · national facility

$1,568.84

Lumbar disc replacement, single interspace

22857-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$784.42

When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).

When to use modifier 51

22857 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 22857

    Lumbar disc replacement, single interspace26.45 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 22860

    Lumbar disc replacement, additional interspace6.71 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 22558

    Anterior fusion, lumbar, single interspace22.94 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 22862

    Disc revision, lumbar, one interspace31.81 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 22856

    Artificial disc, single cervical interspace23.45 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

22860Lumbar disc replacementAdditional interspace
22857 is the primary code for one lumbar interspace; 22860 is the add-on for each additional lumbar interspace.
22558Anterior fusionLumbar, single interspace
22857 places an artificial disc to preserve motion. 22558 describes anterior lumbar interbody fusion.
22862Disc revisionLumbar, one interspace
22857 describes primary artificial disc placement. 22862 is for revision or replacement of a lumbar artificial disc.
22856Artificial discSingle cervical interspace
22856 is the primary artificial disc replacement code for a cervical interspace; 22857 is for a lumbar interspace.

Codes related to 22857

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

Codes related to 22857
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Add-on codes
22860Lumbar disc replacement, additional interspaceAdd-on for each additional lumbar interspace treated with the primary procedure.No office rate
Same family
22856Artificial disc, single cervical interspacePrimary artificial disc replacement code for a cervical interspace.No office rate
22858Cervical disc replacement, second interspaceAdditional-interspace artificial disc code for the cervical region.No office rate
Used instead
22862Disc revision, lumbar, one interspaceUsed for revision or replacement of a lumbar artificial disc, rather than primary placement.No office rate
22865Disc removal, single lumbar interspaceDescribes removal of a lumbar artificial disc without primary replacement.No office rate
22558Anterior fusion, lumbar, single interspaceLumbar anterior interbody fusion is an alternative when the operative plan is fusion rather than disc replacement.No office rate

22857 billing questions

When is 22860 reported with 22857?

Report 22857 for the primary lumbar interspace and 22860 for each additional lumbar interspace treated during the same operation. The documentation should identify the treated levels.

How is 22857 different from lumbar fusion?

22857 describes placement of an artificial disc after discectomy and endplate preparation. A lumbar fusion code such as 22558 describes arthrodesis rather than motion-preserving disc replacement.

Can modifier 50 be used for 22857?

No. The code represents treatment of one spinal interspace, not a paired body structure, and the CMS bilateral adjustment is unavailable.

What work is included in 22857?

The service includes disc removal, endplate preparation, and the associated osteophyte removal described for the procedure, along with placement of the artificial disc. Document these operative steps and the lumbar level.

What are the assistant and co-surgeon rules?

CMS allows assistant-at-surgery payment and permits co-surgeons for 22857. Team-surgery payment is not permitted.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

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
RVUs for 22857PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,128 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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