CPT 62303: MyelographyMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $248.84 for 62303 nationally in the office and $101.87 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $221.84–$327.74.

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

What 62303 covers

This service covers a myelographic study of the thoracic spine after contrast is placed into the cerebrospinal-fluid space through a lumbar puncture. A radiologist or other qualified physician commonly performs it in a hospital or imaging department when the spinal canal, thecal sac, or nerve-root contours need evaluation, such as when assessing suspected thoracic stenosis or a structural lesion. The examination targets the thoracic region even though access is lumbar.

Report 62303 when the documented target of the myelographic examination is thoracic; select among myelography family codes by the imaged spinal region, not the puncture level. The service includes contrast injection and radiological supervision and interpretation, so those elements are not separately reported as stand-alone parts of this code. Document the indication, contrast administration, thoracic images, and interpretation. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, including same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery; 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 62303 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

62303 rates by state

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

How the 62303 rate is calculated

Each of 62303’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 62303

The CMS indicators that decide how 62303 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

62303 compared with similar codes

How to choose

62302Myelography

Use 62302 when the myelographic examination targets the cervical region; 62303 identifies a thoracic examination.

62304Myelography injection

Use 62304 for a lumbar myelographic examination. A lumbar puncture used to access the intrathecal space does not make a thoracic study lumbar.

62305Myelography

Use 62305 when the myelographic examination targets the lumbosacral region rather than the thoracic spine.

Codes related to 62303

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