FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 63283: Spinal tumor surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports laminectomy-based biopsy or removal of a neoplasm located inside the dura but outside the spinal cord at the sacral level.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $1,872.45 for 63283 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 63283

Spinal tumor surgery

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
26.09
Total RVUs
56.06
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,872.45

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 63283 → · 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 63283 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 63283 covers

A spine surgeon, commonly a neurosurgeon or orthopedic spine surgeon, uses a laminectomy to reach a sacral canal lesion, opens the dura, and biopsies or removes a tumor lying outside the spinal cord. A nerve-sheath tumor is a typical example of an intradural extramedullary lesion. The code is specific to the sacral level and does not describe a lesion outside the dura or one arising within the cord.

Report the service when the operative findings establish a sacral neoplasm in the intradural, extramedullary compartment and the surgeon performs biopsy or excision. The operative note should identify the level, lesion location relative to the dura and cord, and whether tissue was sampled or the lesion removed. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. In the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; 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 63283 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

63283 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,633.59
Alaska*Unavailable$2,184.04
ArizonaUnavailable$1,799.83
ArkansasUnavailable$1,604.69
AtlantaUnavailable$1,959.18
AustinUnavailable$1,868.95
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,805.86
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$2,019.84
BeaumontUnavailable$1,789.36
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,792.75

63283 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
63283 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 63283 rate is calculated

Each of 63283’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 · 63283

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 26.09Practice expense 18.95Malpractice 11.02

56.0600 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,872.45

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 63283

63283 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 63283

Spinal tumor 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 · 63283

Spinal tumor 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

63283 without 51 · national facility

$1,872.45

Spinal tumor surgery

63283-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$936.23

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

63283 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

63283 vs 63278 vs 63273 vs 63287 vs 63282: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 63283
    Spinal tumor surgery · 26.09 wRVU
    —
  • 63278
    Spinal lesion surgery · 21.57 wRVU
    —
  • 63273
    Spinal lesion surgery · 25.81 wRVU
    —
  • 63287
    Spinal lesion surgery · 39.08 wRVU
    —
  • 63282
    Spinal lesion surgery · 27.45 wRVU
    —

How to choose

63278Spinal lesion surgery
Choose 63278 when the sacral neoplasm is extradural. This code requires an intradural lesion outside the spinal cord.
63273Spinal lesion surgery
Choose 63273 for a sacral intradural extramedullary lesion other than a neoplasm; this code is for biopsy or excision of a neoplasm.
63287Spinal lesion surgery
Code 63287 concerns an intramedullary neoplasm in the thoracolumbar region. This code is for an extramedullary lesion at the sacral level.
63282Spinal lesion surgery
Both address intradural extramedullary neoplasms, but 63282 is for the lumbar level and this code is for the sacral level.

Codes related to 63283

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

Codes related to 63283
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
63282Spinal lesion surgerySame intradural extramedullary neoplasm service at the lumbar level.No office rate
63281Spinal lesion surgerySame intradural extramedullary neoplasm service at the thoracic level.No office rate
63280Spinal tumor surgerySame intradural extramedullary neoplasm service at the cervical level.No office rate
Used instead
63278Spinal lesion surgeryFor a sacral neoplasm outside the dura rather than intradural.No office rate
63273Spinal lesion surgeryFor a sacral intradural extramedullary lesion other than a neoplasm.No office rate
63287Spinal lesion surgeryFor an intramedullary neoplasm in the thoracolumbar region, not a sacral extramedullary lesion.No office rate

63283 billing questions

How is this code different from 63278?

This code is for a sacral neoplasm inside the dura but outside the spinal cord. Code 63278 describes a sacral neoplasm outside the dura.

When would 63273 be considered instead?

Code 63273 is for excision of a sacral intradural, extramedullary lesion other than a neoplasm. Use this code when the lesion is a neoplasm and the surgeon performs biopsy or excision.

Does this code cover a tumor within the spinal cord?

No. It describes an intradural lesion outside the cord; a neoplasm arising within the cord belongs to the intramedullary code family.

Can modifier 50 be used for a bilateral sacral lesion?

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

What postoperative care is included in the global period?

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

What documentation supports reporting this code?

Document the sacral level, the neoplasm's intradural extramedullary location, and whether the surgeon biopsied or excised it. The operative report should distinguish the lesion from one outside the dura or within the cord.

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 63283PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,058 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 63283 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 63283 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 →