CPT code 63040: Cervical laminotomy, single cervical segment2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $1,287.94 for 63040 nationally in a facility.

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

What 63040 covers

A spine surgeon performs a limited posterior opening through the cervical lamina to relieve compression of the spinal cord, cauda equina, and/or nerve roots at one vertebral segment. A typical clinical setting is operative treatment of cervical spinal stenosis. The work is defined by the decompression at that segment, rather than by the number of individual nerve roots addressed.

Report one unit for the single cervical segment treated, with the operative report identifying the level and the compressive condition addressed. Distinguish this service from a nerve-root-focused laminotomy reported by interspace and from a more extensive laminectomy with facetectomy and foraminotomy. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made, and co-surgeons are permitted; team surgery 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 63040 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

63040 rates by state

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

How the 63040 rate is calculated

Each of 63040’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 63040

63040 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

63040 compared with similar codes

How to choose

63020Cervical laminotomySingle interspace

Choose 63040 for decompression of the spinal cord, cauda equina, and/or nerve roots at a cervical vertebral segment, such as for stenosis. Choose 63020 for nerve-root decompression defined by cervical interspace.

63043Cervical laminotomyAdditional interspace

63043 is an add-on for each additional cervical segment; it is not the code for the first segment. Report 63040 for the initial segment.

63045Cervical decompressionSingle vertebral segment

63045 describes cervical laminectomy with facetectomy and foraminotomy. Use 63040 when the documented procedure is a laminotomy decompression at a single cervical segment.

63042Lumbar decompressionSingle-level re-exploration

63042 is the lumbar single-segment counterpart. The cervical location distinguishes 63040.

Codes related to 63040

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

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