CPT code 63051: Cervical laminoplasty, posterior element reconstruction2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Reports multilevel cervical spinal cord decompression by laminoplasty when the surgeon reconstructs the posterior elements using graft material and/or instrumentation.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 63051 in Missouri.
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
On this page 9 sections
What 63051 covers
A spine surgeon performs this operation to relieve cervical spinal cord compression across two or more vertebral segments while preserving and reconstructing the posterior elements. Typical cases include multilevel cervical stenosis causing myelopathy, including stenosis associated with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament. The surgeon opens the laminae to make room for the cord, then reconstructs the posterior arch, commonly using bone graft, plates, or other instrumentation. The procedure is generally performed in a hospital operating room by an orthopedic spine surgeon or neurosurgeon.
Report one unit for the qualifying multilevel laminoplasty, rather than a separate unit for each reconstructed segment. The operative report should identify the decompressed levels and describe reconstruction of the posterior elements and the materials or instrumentation used. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeon billing are permitted; team-surgery billing is not. A bilateral modifier is inappropriate for this cervical procedure.
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 63051 pays more and less in Missouri
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Kansas City, MO | Unavailable | $1,539.04 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | Unavailable | $1,551.74 |
| Rest of Missouri | Unavailable | $1,500.40 |
How the 63051 rate is calculated
Each of 63051’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 · 63051
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work24.87
24.87 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense14.73
14.73 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice7.55
7.55 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
47.1500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,574.85
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 63051
63051 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 63051
Cervical laminoplasty, posterior element reconstruction
| 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) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 2 | 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 · 63051
Cervical laminoplasty, posterior element reconstruction
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
63051 without 51 · national facility
$1,574.85
Cervical laminoplasty, posterior element reconstruction
63051-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$787.43
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%).
63051 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 63050LaminoplastyTwo or more cervical segments
- Use 63051 when posterior elements are reconstructed as part of the multilevel cervical laminoplasty. Use 63050 for the related procedure without that reconstruction.
- 63045Cervical decompressionSingle vertebral segment
- 63045 represents cervical laminectomy with facet and foraminal decompression. 63051 describes multilevel cord decompression with reconstruction of the posterior elements.
- 63040Cervical laminotomySingle cervical segment
- 63040 is a cervical laminotomy approach for nerve-root decompression at a limited level. 63051 is for multilevel cervical cord decompression with posterior element reconstruction.
63051 billing questions
How is 63051 different from 63050?
Both describe multilevel cervical laminoplasty with spinal cord decompression. Choose 63051 when the surgeon reconstructs the posterior elements; 63050 is the related option without that reconstruction.
Do I report one unit for each cervical segment?
No. Report one unit for the qualifying laminoplasty spanning two or more vertebral segments, not one unit per segment.
What documentation supports reporting 63051?
The operative report should identify the cervical levels decompressed and describe reconstruction of the posterior elements, including the graft or instrumentation used.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare permits assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeon billing for this procedure. Team-surgery billing is not permitted.
How does the global period affect postoperative billing?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.
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
Fee sheets · Coming soon
Put 63051 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
Join the waitlist