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Billing code 22600: Cervical fusionMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports posterior or posterolateral fusion across one cervical interspace below C2, typically performed by a spine surgeon for a condition requiring cervical stabilization.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities23K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,282.93 for 22600 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 22600

Cervical fusion

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
16.97
Total RVUs
38.41
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,282.93

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 22600 → · 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.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 22600 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 22600 covers

An orthopedic spine surgeon or neurosurgeon uses a posterior approach to prepare and fuse one cervical interspace below C2, joining the adjacent vertebrae with bone graft. The procedure is performed in an operating room, commonly for cervical instability or degenerative disease requiring fusion. Instrumentation or graft services may be separately reportable when performed and supported by the operative record.

Report 22600 for the first interspace treated with this technique; document the fused level and posterior approach. When additional eligible vertebral segments are fused, report add-on code 22614 for each additional segment. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. In a session with multiple procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available, and co-surgeons are permitted; team-surgery payment is not permitted 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 22600 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

22600 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,130.77
Alaska*Unavailable$1,508.67
ArizonaUnavailable$1,237.82
ArkansasUnavailable$1,112.21
AtlantaUnavailable$1,333.59
AustinUnavailable$1,290.73
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,263.71
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,377.52
BeaumontUnavailable$1,222.33
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,238.24

22600 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
22600 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 22600 rate is calculated

Each of 22600’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 · 22600

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 16.97Practice expense 15.37Malpractice 6.07

38.4100 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,282.93

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 22600

22600 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 22600

Cervical fusion

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 · 22600

Cervical fusion

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.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned 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

22600 without 51 · national facility

$1,282.93

Cervical fusion

22600-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$641.47

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

22600 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

22600 vs 22610 vs 22612 vs 22630: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 22600
    Cervical fusion · 16.97 wRVU
    —
  • 22610
    Spinal fusion · 16.85 wRVU
    —
  • 22612
    Spinal fusion · 22.94 wRVU
    —
  • 22630
    Lumbar fusion · 21.54 wRVU
    —

How to choose

22610Spinal fusion
Both describe posterior or posterolateral fusion at one interspace; 22610 is for the thoracic region, while 22600 is for cervical levels below C2.
22612Spinal fusion
22612 describes posterior or posterolateral fusion at a lumbar interspace. Use 22600 when the fused interspace is cervical and below C2.
22630Lumbar fusion
22630 describes lumbar posterior interbody fusion. It differs from 22600 in both spinal region and fusion approach.

Codes related to 22600

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

Codes related to 22600
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Add-on codes
22614Spinal fusionAdd-on code for each additional eligible vertebral segment fused with the primary procedure.No office rate
Same family
22610Spinal fusionPosterior or posterolateral fusion code for a thoracic interspace.No office rate
22612Spinal fusionPosterior or posterolateral fusion code for a lumbar interspace.No office rate
Often billed with
22840Spinal fixationMay be reported for posterior nonsegmental instrumentation placed during the fusion.No office rate
20936Sp bone agrft local add-onMay describe local autograft harvested through the same incision.No office rate

22600 billing questions

When should 22600 be selected instead of 22610 or 22612?

Use 22600 for a posterior or posterolateral fusion at a cervical interspace below C2. Codes 22610 and 22612 describe the same general technique in the thoracic and lumbar regions, respectively.

How are additional fused levels reported?

Report 22600 for the initial cervical interspace and 22614 for each additional eligible vertebral segment. The operative report should identify the levels fused.

Is spinal instrumentation included in 22600?

Instrumentation is not described by 22600. When instrumentation is performed, its separate reporting depends on the documented construct and the applicable instrumentation code.

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?

CMS allows assistant-at-surgery payment and permits co-surgeons for 22600. Team-surgery payment is not permitted for this code.

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 22600PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,092 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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