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Billing code 63302: Vertebral body removalMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports thoracolumbar vertebral-body removal to reach and excise an extradural intraspinal lesion, with the operative level and extent documented.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities37 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $2,125.97 for 63302 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 63302

Vertebral body removal

Work RVUs
30.37
Total RVUs
63.65
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$2,125.97

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 63302 →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 63302 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 63302 covers

This code represents partial or complete removal of a vertebral body in the thoracolumbar region as part of surgery to excise an extradural lesion within the spinal canal. Neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons may perform the operation in a hospital operating room. The vertebral-body work provides access to, or permits removal of, the lesion; a corpectomy for a different purpose is not enough to support this service.

Select the code when the operative report supports an extradural lesion, the thoracolumbar location, and the vertebral-body removal performed. Document the lesion, level or levels, and extent of resection. The service has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; 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 63302 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

63302 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,854.60
Alaska*Unavailable$2,485.15
ArizonaUnavailable$2,043.08
ArkansasUnavailable$1,821.82
AtlantaUnavailable$2,226.07
AustinUnavailable$2,118.76
BakersfieldUnavailable$2,043.26
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$2,293.62
BeaumontUnavailable$2,034.07
BrazoriaUnavailable$2,033.66

63302 rates by state

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

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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
63302 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 63302 rate is calculated

Each of 63302’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 · 63302

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work30.37

30.37 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense20.45

20.45 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice12.83

12.83 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

63.6500

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$2,125.97

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 63302

63302 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 63302

Vertebral body removal

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 · 63302

Vertebral body removal

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

63302 without 51 · national facility

$2,125.97

Vertebral body removal

63302-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$1,062.99

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

63302 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

  • 63302

    Vertebral body removal30.37 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63301

    Vertebral resection30.78 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63303

    Vertebral resection32.71 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63306

    Vertebral resection34.66 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 63308

    Vertebral resection5.11 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

63301Vertebral resection
Use 63301 for the thoracic region. Code 63302 identifies the thoracolumbar region; determine the appropriate family code from the documented operative level.
63303Vertebral resection
Use 63303 for lumbar or sacral extradural lesion surgery involving vertebral-body removal. Code 63302 is for the thoracolumbar region.
63306Vertebral resection
Both codes concern the thoracolumbar region, but 63302 is for an extradural lesion and 63306 is for an intradural lesion.
63308Vertebral resection
63302 is a primary procedure; 63308 is an add-on for each additional vertebral segment and cannot stand alone.

Codes related to 63302

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

Codes related to 63302
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Add-on codes
63308Vertebral resectionAdd-on for each additional vertebral segment when reported with an eligible primary procedure.No office rate
Same family
63301Vertebral resectionExtradural vertebral-body removal in the thoracic region.No office rate
63303Vertebral resectionExtradural vertebral-body removal in the lumbar or sacral region.No office rate
63306Vertebral resectionThoracolumbar vertebral-body removal for an intradural rather than extradural lesion.No office rate

63302 billing questions

How is 63302 distinguished from 63301 or 63303?

The distinction is the operative spinal region: 63302 is thoracolumbar, 63301 is thoracic, and 63303 is lumbar or sacral. Use the documented vertebral level and code-family boundaries.

Does the lesion need to be extradural?

Yes. This code describes vertebral-body removal for excision of an extradural intraspinal lesion. The intradural code family, including 63306 for the thoracolumbar region, describes a different lesion location.

When is 63308 reported with 63302?

63308 is the add-on code for each additional vertebral segment when its requirements are met. Report it with the applicable primary procedure, not by itself.

Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral work?

No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to 63302, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.

What documentation supports reporting 63302?

The operative report should identify the extradural intraspinal lesion, the thoracolumbar level or levels, and the partial or complete vertebral-body removal performed to treat it.

How are assistant or co-surgeon claims handled?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not 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 63302PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,066 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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