CPT code 63303: Vertebral resection, lumbar/sacral, extradural2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Reports removal of a lumbar or sacral vertebral body outside the dura, typically during surgery to address vertebral disease or decompress neural structures.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 63303 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.
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On this page 9 sections
What 63303 covers
This service is a lumbar or sacral corpectomy: the surgeon removes a vertebral body in the extradural space, commonly as part of treatment for a vertebral lesion or to relieve pressure on nearby neural structures. It is performed by a spine surgeon in an operating room, generally in a hospital setting. The code identifies the lumbar/sacral region and the extradural location of the resection; it is not selected solely because a lumbar decompression or fusion is performed.
Report one unit for the single vertebral segment represented by this code. Documentation should identify the vertebral level or levels removed and support that the resection was extradural. When an additional segment is resected, 63308 is the related add-on code. The service has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. If multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation. Team surgery is not permitted, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
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 63303 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 | $2,186.79 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | Unavailable | $2,207.24 |
| Rest of Missouri | Unavailable | $2,132.66 |
How the 63303 rate is calculated
Each of 63303’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 · 63303
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work32.71
32.71 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense20.51
20.51 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice13.82
13.82 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
67.0400
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$2,239.20
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 63303
63303 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 63303
Vertebral resection, lumbar/sacral, extradural
| 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) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| 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 · 63303
Vertebral resection, lumbar/sacral, extradural
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
63303 without 51 · national facility
$2,239.20
Vertebral resection, lumbar/sacral, extradural
63303-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,119.60
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%).
63303 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 63302Vertebral body removalExtradural, thoracolumbar
- 63302 applies to extradural vertebral body resection in the thoracolumbar region; 63303 is for the lumbar/sacral region.
- 63307Vertebral resectionIntradural, lumbar or sacral
- Choose 63307 when the lumbar/sacral vertebral body resection is intradural. Code 63303 represents an extradural resection.
- 63308Vertebral resectionEach additional segment
- 63308 is an add-on for an additional segment, not the code for the primary lumbar/sacral extradural resection.
63303 billing questions
How does 63303 differ from 63307?
Both describe vertebral body resection in the lumbar/sacral region, but 63303 is for an extradural resection and 63307 is for an intradural resection. The operative report should support the applicable location.
When is 63308 reported with 63303?
63308 is the add-on code for an additional vertebral segment resected in the applicable vertebral body resection family. The operative documentation should identify the additional segment.
Can modifier 50 be used for 63303?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code because of its descriptor or anatomy.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
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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