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Billing code 63282: Spinal lesion surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports lumbar laminectomy access to biopsy or remove an intradural, extramedullary spinal lesion, such as a tumor outside the spinal cord.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities362 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,937.92 for 63282 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 63282

Spinal lesion surgery

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
27.45
Total RVUs
58.02
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,937.92

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 63282 → · 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 63282 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 63282 covers

A neurosurgeon uses a lumbar laminectomy to reach a lesion inside the dura but outside the spinal cord, then obtains a biopsy or removes the lesion. Typical cases include an intradural extramedullary tumor such as a schwannoma or meningioma. The code is selected for the lumbar location and the lesion’s compartment, not simply because the operation uses a laminectomy. It is typically performed in a hospital operating room.

The operative report should establish the lumbar level, the intradural extramedullary location, and whether tissue was sampled or the lesion was removed. This major surgery 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. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. 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 63282 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

63282 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,692.53
Alaska*Unavailable$2,266.83
ArizonaUnavailable$1,863.20
ArkansasUnavailable$1,662.85
AtlantaUnavailable$2,027.51
AustinUnavailable$1,933.43
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,867.76
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$2,089.63
BeaumontUnavailable$1,853.27
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,855.65

63282 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
63282 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 63282 rate is calculated

Each of 63282’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 · 63282

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 27.45Practice expense 19.16Malpractice 11.41

58.0200 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,937.92

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 63282

63282 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 63282

Spinal lesion surgery

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 · 63282

Spinal lesion surgery

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

63282 without 51 · national facility

$1,937.92

Spinal lesion surgery

63282-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$968.96

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

63282 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

63282 vs 63277 vs 63272 vs 63287 vs 63281: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 63282
    Spinal lesion surgery · 27.45 wRVU
    —
  • 63277
    Spinal lesion surgery · 21.83 wRVU
    —
  • 63272
    Spinal lesion surgery · 26.81 wRVU
    —
  • 63287
    Spinal lesion surgery · 39.08 wRVU
    —
  • 63281
    Spinal lesion surgery · 29.24 wRVU
    —

How to choose

63277Spinal lesion surgery
Use 63282 for a neoplasm inside the dura but outside the spinal cord. Use 63277 when the lumbar neoplasm is extradural.
63272Spinal lesion surgery
Both involve a lumbar intradural lesion, but 63272 is for a lesion other than a neoplasm. Code 63282 applies to a neoplasm outside the spinal cord.
63287Spinal lesion surgery
Code 63287 describes an intradural, intramedullary lesion in the thoracolumbar region; 63282 is for an intradural lesion outside the cord at the lumbar level.
63281Spinal lesion surgery
The lesion type and compartment are the same, but 63281 is for the thoracic level rather than the lumbar level.

Codes related to 63282

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

Codes related to 63282
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
63281Spinal lesion surgerySame intradural extramedullary neoplasm service at the thoracic level.No office rate
63283Spinal tumor surgerySame intradural extramedullary neoplasm service at the sacral level.No office rate
Used instead
63277Spinal lesion surgeryLumbar neoplasm surgery for a lesion outside the dura.No office rate
63272Spinal lesion surgeryLumbar intradural lesion surgery when the lesion is not a neoplasm.No office rate
63287Spinal lesion surgeryBiopsy or excision of an intradural, intramedullary lesion in the thoracolumbar region.No office rate

63282 billing questions

How is this code distinguished from 63277?

Both concern lumbar intraspinal neoplasms, but 63282 is for a lesion inside the dura and outside the spinal cord. Code 63277 is for an extradural lesion.

When would 63272 be considered instead?

Code 63272 is for an intradural lesion other than a neoplasm. Use 63282 when the lesion is a neoplasm and is intradural but outside the spinal cord.

Does the 90-day global include postoperative visits?

It includes related postoperative care for 90 days, as well as the day-before preoperative visit.

Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral lumbar lesions?

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

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.

How are other procedures in the same session paid?

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 63282PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,057 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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