CPT code 62287: Disc decompression, lumbar, needle-based2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Reports image-guided, needle-based removal or reduction of lumbar disc nucleus material to decompress a symptomatic intervertebral disc.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 62287 in Oregon.
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 62287 covers
This service treats a symptomatic lumbar disc by using a needle-based percutaneous technique, under imaging guidance, to remove or reduce nucleus pulposus material. A spine surgeon or another physician trained in image-guided spine procedures may perform it in a hospital or ambulatory surgical setting. The code covers one or multiple lumbar disc levels; the technique and treated levels should be clear in the operative report.
Report the service when the physician performs percutaneous disc decompression, not merely a diagnostic disc aspiration or discography. Documentation should identify the lumbar level or levels, the percutaneous needle-based method, imaging guidance, and the clinical indication. The service has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and additional procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 62287 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR | Unavailable | $552.94 |
| Rest of Oregon | Unavailable | $523.72 |
How the 62287 rate is calculated
Each of 62287’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 · 62287
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work9.03
9.03 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.02
6.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.93
0.93 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
15.9800
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$533.75
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 62287
62287 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 62287
Disc decompression, lumbar, needle-based
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.11/0.76/0.13 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 62287
Disc decompression, lumbar, needle-based
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
62287 without 51 · national facility
$533.75
Disc decompression, lumbar, needle-based
62287-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$266.88
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%).
62287 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 62267Disc aspirationDiagnostic lumbar sampling
- 62267 is diagnostic percutaneous aspiration of disc material. Choose 62287 when the procedure is performed to decompress the lumbar disc.
- 62292ChemonucleolysisLumbar intervertebral disc
- 62292 represents lumbar chemonucleolysis using an injected chemical agent; 62287 describes percutaneous needle-based decompression.
- 62290DiscographyLumbar level injection
- 62290 is lumbar discography for diagnostic evaluation. It does not represent therapeutic removal or reduction of disc material.
- 63030Lumbar decompressionSingle interspace
- 63030 describes open lumbar decompression with disc excision. 62287 is for a percutaneous, needle-based disc procedure.
62287 billing questions
How is 62287 different from lumbar disc aspiration?
Use 62287 for needle-based percutaneous decompression of lumbar disc material. Code 62267 describes diagnostic percutaneous aspiration of an intervertebral disc.
How does 62287 differ from chemonucleolysis?
62287 describes percutaneous removal or reduction of disc material. Code 62292 is for lumbar chemonucleolysis, which uses an injected chemical agent.
Should modifier 50 be reported for treatment of discs on both sides?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code; the service is reported by lumbar disc level or levels, not as a bilateral procedure.
What documentation supports reporting multiple levels?
Document each lumbar disc level treated and the needle-based decompression performed at those levels. The code encompasses single or multiple levels.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 62287. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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
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