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Billing code 63050: LaminoplastyMedicare rate & RVUs

Report multilevel cervical laminoplasty when a surgeon enlarges the spinal canal and decompresses the cord across at least two cervical vertebral segments.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities130 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,401.17 for 63050 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 63050

Laminoplasty

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
21.46
Total RVUs
41.95
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,401.17

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 63050 → · 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 63050 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 63050 covers

A cervical laminoplasty opens and reshapes the laminae to enlarge the spinal canal and relieve pressure on the spinal cord while preserving the posterior elements. Spine surgeons typically perform it for cervical canal stenosis with cord compression or myelopathy, often across multiple levels. The operation is generally performed in a hospital surgical setting. This code represents treatment across two or more cervical vertebral segments without the posterior-element reconstruction that distinguishes 63051.

Report one service based on the operative work, not one unit for each segment. The operative report should identify the cervical levels treated, the cord decompression performed, and whether graft or prosthetic material was used to reconstruct posterior elements. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care for 90 days. 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 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. CMS permits assistant-at-surgery and co-surgeon payment, but not team-surgery payment.

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 63050 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

63050 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,244.92
Alaska*Unavailable$1,686.44
ArizonaUnavailable$1,354.10
ArkansasUnavailable$1,225.96
AtlantaUnavailable$1,456.60
AustinUnavailable$1,402.94
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,369.06
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,500.12
BeaumontUnavailable$1,343.92
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,352.47

63050 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
63050 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 63050 rate is calculated

Each of 63050’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 · 63050

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 21.46Practice expense 13.64Malpractice 6.85

41.9500 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,401.17

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 63050

63050 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 63050

Laminoplasty

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 · 63050

Laminoplasty

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

63050 without 51 · national facility

$1,401.17

Laminoplasty

63050-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$700.59

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

63050 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

63050 vs 63051 vs 63045 vs 63020: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 63050
    Laminoplasty · 21.46 wRVU
    —
  • 63051
    Cervical laminoplasty · 24.87 wRVU
    —
  • 63045
    Cervical decompression · 17.5 wRVU
    —
  • 63020
    Cervical laminotomy · 14.54 wRVU
    —

How to choose

63051Cervical laminoplasty
Choose 63050 for multilevel cervical laminoplasty without posterior-element reconstruction. Choose 63051 when the surgeon reconstructs posterior elements with bone graft and/or prosthetic material.
63045Cervical decompression
63045 describes posterior cervical decompression by laminectomy, facetectomy, and foraminotomy at one segment. 63050 describes laminoplasty with cord decompression across at least two segments.
63020Cervical laminotomy
63020 is for cervical laminotomy addressing a nerve root at one interspace; 63050 is multilevel cervical laminoplasty for spinal cord decompression.

Codes related to 63050

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

Codes related to 63050
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
63051Cervical laminoplastyCervical laminoplasty across two or more segments with posterior-element reconstruction.No office rate
Used instead
63045Cervical decompressionPosterior cervical decompression using laminectomy, facetectomy, and foraminotomy at one segment.No office rate
63020Cervical laminotomyCervical laminotomy for focal nerve-root decompression at one interspace.No office rate
63075Cervical discectomyAnterior cervical disk surgery may address cord compression from a focal disk problem.No office rate

63050 billing questions

How does 63050 differ from 63051?

Both describe cervical laminoplasty with spinal cord decompression across two or more segments. Use 63051 when the operation also reconstructs posterior elements with bone graft and/or prosthetic material.

Is the code reported once for each cervical level?

No. The code covers two or more cervical vertebral segments; report one service rather than a unit for every level treated.

What operative documentation supports 63050?

Document the cervical segments treated, the laminoplasty and spinal cord decompression performed, and whether posterior-element reconstruction was done. The reconstruction detail helps distinguish 63050 from 63051.

Can modifier 50 be used?

No. The descriptor and anatomy make bilateral reporting with modifier 50 inappropriate.

How are other same-session procedures and surgical assistants handled?

With multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. CMS permits assistant-at-surgery and co-surgeon payment for this code, but not team-surgery payment.

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 63050PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,008 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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