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CPT code 63001: Cervical laminectomy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports cervical lamina removal to decompress the spinal cord across one or two vertebral segments, without facet removal, foraminal enlargement, or discectomy.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities2.3K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,193.75 for 63001 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 63001

Cervical laminectomy

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
17.17
Total RVUs
35.74
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,193.75

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 63001 →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.

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 63001 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 63001 covers

This operation removes cervical lamina to enlarge the spinal canal and relieve spinal cord compression, commonly from cervical stenosis associated with myelopathy. A neurosurgeon or orthopedic spine surgeon typically performs it in a hospital operating room. The service is limited to one or two vertebral segments and does not include facet removal, enlargement of the neural foramen, or disc removal as part of the coded procedure.

Report the code when the operative report supports cervical decompression at one or two segments and identifies the levels treated. Use the cervical code for more than two segments when that extent is performed; thoracic and lumbar procedures have separate codes. The Medicare global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. An assistant at surgery may be paid, and co-surgeons are permitted; team surgery is not permitted. 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 63001 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

63001 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,049.65
AlaskaUnavailable$1,410.08
ArizonaUnavailable$1,150.18
ArkansasUnavailable$1,032.18
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$1,245.25
Austin, TXUnavailable$1,193.81
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$1,159.27
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$1,283.53
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$1,142.02
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$1,147.30

63001 rates by state

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

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Explore a state

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
63001 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 63001 rate is calculated

Each of 63001’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 · 63001

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work17.17

17.17 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense12.12

12.12 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice6.45

6.45 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

35.7400

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,193.75

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 63001

63001 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 63001

Cervical laminectomy

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)0.11/0.76/0.13Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 63001

Cervical laminectomy

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.

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

63001 without 51 · national facility

$1,193.75

Cervical laminectomy

63001-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$596.88

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

63001 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 63001

    Cervical laminectomy17.17 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63015

    Cervical decompression20.33 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63045

    Cervical decompression17.5 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63020

    Cervical laminotomy14.54 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

63015Cervical decompression
Use 63001 for one or two cervical vertebral segments. Use 63015 when the cervical decompression spans more than two segments.
63045Cervical decompression
63001 describes cervical lamina removal without facetectomy or foraminotomy. Choose 63045 when cervical decompression includes those additional steps.
63020Cervical laminotomy
63020 describes a cervical laminotomy directed at nerve-root decompression at one interspace. 63001 is the broader cervical spinal-canal decompression service for one or two segments.

Codes related to 63001

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

Codes related to 63001
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
63003Thoracic decompressionCorresponding one- or two-segment laminectomy code for the thoracic region.No office rate
63005Lumbar laminectomyCorresponding one- or two-segment laminectomy code for the lumbar region.No office rate
63015Cervical decompressionCervical laminectomy code for decompression extending beyond two vertebral segments.No office rate
Used instead
63045Cervical decompressionCervical decompression alternative when the procedure includes facetectomy and foraminotomy.No office rate
63020Cervical laminotomyCervical laminotomy option for nerve-root decompression at one interspace.No office rate

63001 billing questions

When is this code used instead of the code for more than two cervical segments?

Use this code when the cervical decompression involves one or two vertebral segments. The more-than-two-segment cervical code applies when the documented extent exceeds two.

How does this differ from cervical laminectomy with facetectomy and foraminotomy?

This code describes cervical lamina removal without those additional bony decompression steps. When the procedure includes facet removal and foraminal enlargement, consider the cervical facetectomy-and-foraminotomy code instead.

Can modifier 50 be reported for bilateral decompression?

No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.

What documentation supports the segment count?

The operative report should identify the cervical levels treated and describe the lamina removal and spinal cord decompression. It should also make clear whether the procedure included facet removal, foraminal enlargement, or disc removal.

How are other procedures in the same session paid?

Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50% when performed in the same session.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

An assistant at surgery may be paid, and co-surgeons are permitted. 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
RVUs for 63001PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,988 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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