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Billing code 63051: Cervical laminoplastyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports multilevel cervical spinal cord decompression by laminoplasty when the surgeon reconstructs the posterior elements using graft material and/or instrumentation.

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

Medicare pays $1,574.85 for 63051 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 63051

Cervical laminoplasty

Work RVUs
24.87
Total RVUs
47.15
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,574.85

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 63051 →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 63051 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 63051 covers

A spine surgeon performs this operation to relieve cervical spinal cord compression across two or more vertebral segments while preserving and reconstructing the posterior elements. Typical cases include multilevel cervical stenosis causing myelopathy, including stenosis associated with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament. The surgeon opens the laminae to make room for the cord, then reconstructs the posterior arch, commonly using bone graft, plates, or other instrumentation. The procedure is generally performed in a hospital operating room by an orthopedic spine surgeon or neurosurgeon.

Report one unit for the qualifying multilevel laminoplasty, rather than a separate unit for each reconstructed segment. The operative report should identify the decompressed levels and describe reconstruction of the posterior elements and the materials or instrumentation used. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. 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 reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeon billing are permitted; team-surgery billing is not. A bilateral modifier is inappropriate for this cervical procedure.

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 63051 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

63051 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,403.91
Alaska*Unavailable$1,908.94
ArizonaUnavailable$1,523.29
ArkansasUnavailable$1,383.18
AtlantaUnavailable$1,635.90
AustinUnavailable$1,576.30
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,539.27
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,683.82
BeaumontUnavailable$1,512.67
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,521.59

63051 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
63051 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 63051 rate is calculated

Each of 63051’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 · 63051

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work24.87

24.87 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense14.73

14.73 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice7.55

7.55 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

47.1500

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,574.85

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 63051

63051 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 63051

Cervical 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 · 63051

Cervical 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.

  • 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

63051 without 51 · national facility

$1,574.85

Cervical laminoplasty

63051-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$787.43

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

63051 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

  • 63051

    Cervical laminoplasty24.87 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63050

    Laminoplasty21.46 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63045

    Cervical decompression17.5 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63040

    Cervical laminotomy19.8 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

63050Laminoplasty
Use 63051 when posterior elements are reconstructed as part of the multilevel cervical laminoplasty. Use 63050 for the related procedure without that reconstruction.
63045Cervical decompression
63045 represents cervical laminectomy with facet and foraminal decompression. 63051 describes multilevel cord decompression with reconstruction of the posterior elements.
63040Cervical laminotomy
63040 is a cervical laminotomy approach for nerve-root decompression at a limited level. 63051 is for multilevel cervical cord decompression with posterior element reconstruction.

Codes related to 63051

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

Codes related to 63051
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
63050LaminoplastyRelated multilevel cervical laminoplasty code; the distinction is whether posterior elements are reconstructed.No office rate
Used instead
63045Cervical decompressionCervical posterior decompression by laminectomy, facetectomy, and foraminotomy rather than reconstructive laminoplasty.No office rate
63040Cervical laminotomyA limited cervical laminotomy option for focal nerve-root decompression rather than multilevel cord decompression.No office rate

63051 billing questions

How is 63051 different from 63050?

Both describe multilevel cervical laminoplasty with spinal cord decompression. Choose 63051 when the surgeon reconstructs the posterior elements; 63050 is the related option without that reconstruction.

Do I report one unit for each cervical segment?

No. Report one unit for the qualifying laminoplasty spanning two or more vertebral segments, not one unit per segment.

What documentation supports reporting 63051?

The operative report should identify the cervical levels decompressed and describe reconstruction of the posterior elements, including the graft or instrumentation used.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Medicare permits assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeon billing for this procedure. Team-surgery billing is not permitted.

How does the global period affect postoperative billing?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.

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 63051PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,009 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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