FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 63081: Cervical corpectomyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports anterior removal of part or all of a cervical vertebral body to decompress the spinal cord or nerve roots at one segment.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities5K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,660.02 for 63081 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 63081

Cervical corpectomy

Work RVUs
25.45
Total RVUs
49.70
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,660.02

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 63081 →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 63081 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 63081 covers

A spine surgeon performs this operation through an anterior neck approach, removing part or all of a cervical vertebral body to relieve spinal cord or nerve-root compression. It is commonly used for cervical myelopathy or other compression that cannot be adequately addressed by removing disc material alone. The procedure is typically performed in an operating room, often with reconstruction or fusion after decompression.

Report one unit for the single cervical segment treated; use the additional-segment code when the operation extends to further segments. The operative report should identify the cervical level, anterior approach, extent of vertebral-body resection, and the neural compression addressed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 63081 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

63081 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,469.61
Alaska*Unavailable$1,989.37
ArizonaUnavailable$1,602.31
ArkansasUnavailable$1,446.55
AtlantaUnavailable$1,728.92
AustinUnavailable$1,659.07
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,613.39
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,780.08
BeaumontUnavailable$1,592.61
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,598.64

63081 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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
63081 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 63081 rate is calculated

Each of 63081’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 · 63081

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work25.45

25.45 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense15.61

15.61 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice8.64

8.64 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

49.7000

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,660.02

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 63081

63081 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 63081

Cervical corpectomy

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)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)2Permitted.
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 · 63081

Cervical corpectomy

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

63081 without 51 · national facility

$1,660.02

Cervical corpectomy

63081-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$830.01

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

63081 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

  • 63081

    Cervical corpectomy25.45 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63082

    Vertebral decompression4.25 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63075

    Cervical discectomy19.11 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63045

    Cervical decompression17.5 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63085

    Thoracic corpectomy28.73 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

63082Vertebral decompression
This code covers the initial cervical segment; 63082 is for each additional cervical segment treated in the same corpectomy service.
63075Cervical discectomy
Choose 63075 for anterior cervical disc decompression without vertebral-body resection. Choose this code when removal of vertebral-body bone is needed for decompression.
63045Cervical decompression
63045 describes posterior cervical decompression. This code represents anterior cervical vertebral-body removal.
63085Thoracic corpectomy
63085 is the corresponding vertebral-body decompression code for the thoracic region; this code is for the cervical region.

Codes related to 63081

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

Codes related to 63081
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Add-on codes
63082Vertebral decompressionAdditional cervical segment code reported with this primary corpectomy code.No office rate
Used instead
63085Thoracic corpectomyComparable vertebral-body decompression procedure for the thoracic region.No office rate
63090Vertebral corpectomyComparable vertebral-body decompression procedure for the lumbar region.No office rate
63075Cervical discectomyAnterior cervical disc decompression when vertebral-body resection is not performed.No office rate
63045Cervical decompressionPosterior cervical decompression using a different operative approach.No office rate

63081 billing questions

When is this code preferable to cervical discectomy code 63075?

Use this code when decompression requires removal of part or all of a cervical vertebral body. Code 63075 describes an anterior cervical disc procedure rather than vertebral-body resection.

Can the additional-segment code be reported with this procedure?

Yes. Report 63082 for each additional cervical segment treated beyond the segment represented by this code, with documentation identifying the additional level.

Can a separate discectomy be reported at the corpectomy level?

Disc removal that is part of the anterior corpectomy and decompression is integral to the operation. Separately report a distinct service only when it is independently supported and not part of that work.

What documentation supports reporting this code?

The operative report should establish the anterior cervical approach, the vertebral level, the extent of body removal, and the spinal cord or nerve-root compression treated.

How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?

The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period. CMS applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction when other procedures are performed in the same session.

May an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is 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 63081PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,021 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 63081 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 63081 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.

Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →