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Billing code 63173: Spinal cyst drainageMedicare rate & RVUs

Thoracic laminectomy to drain an intramedullary spinal cyst, such as a syrinx, when the operative target is in the thoracic spinal cord.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $1,697.10 for 63173 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 63173

Spinal cyst drainage

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
23.7
Total RVUs
50.81
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,697.10

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 63173 → · 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 63173 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 63173 covers

A neurosurgeon uses a thoracic laminectomy to reach and drain an intramedullary spinal cord cyst, commonly a syrinx associated with syringomyelia. The code is selected for a cyst in the thoracic region; it is not the cervical or lumbar counterpart. The operation is performed in a surgical setting, with the operative report identifying the cyst and its location.

Report the thoracic code when the documented drainage procedure targets a cyst in the thoracic spinal cord. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery. 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 multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 63173 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

63173 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,480.50
Alaska*Unavailable$1,979.73
ArizonaUnavailable$1,631.21
ArkansasUnavailable$1,454.30
AtlantaUnavailable$1,775.88
AustinUnavailable$1,693.64
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,636.08
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,830.75
BeaumontUnavailable$1,621.96
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,624.67

63173 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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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
63173 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 63173 rate is calculated

Each of 63173’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 · 63173

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 23.70Practice expense 17.09Malpractice 10.02

50.8100 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,697.10

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 63173

63173 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 63173

Spinal cyst drainage

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)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 · 63173

Spinal cyst drainage

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

63173 without 51 · national facility

$1,697.10

Spinal cyst drainage

63173-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$848.55

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

63173 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

63173 vs 63172: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 63173
    Spinal cyst drainage · 23.7 wRVU
    —
  • 63172
    Spinal cyst drainage · 19.27 wRVU
    —

How to choose

63172Spinal cyst drainage
63172 describes drainage of an intramedullary spinal cyst in the cervical region; 63173 is the thoracic-region code.

Codes related to 63173

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

Codes related to 63173
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
63172Spinal cyst drainageCervical-region counterpart for drainage of an intramedullary spinal cyst.No office rate

63173 billing questions

How is this code distinguished from 63172?

63173 is for drainage of a cyst in the thoracic spinal cord. Use 63172 for the cervical region.

What documentation supports reporting this code?

The operative report should identify the spinal cyst, document drainage, and establish that the operative target is in the thoracic region.

Can modifier 50 be reported?

No. The descriptor and anatomy make bilateral adjustment and modifier 50 inappropriate.

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.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction.

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 63173PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,034 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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