Billing code 20937: Spinal bone graftMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports morselized bone harvested from the patient through a separate incision and placed to support fusion during a primary spinal procedure.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 20937 in Alaska.
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 9 sections
What 20937 covers
During spinal fusion, the surgeon harvests the patient’s own bone through a separate skin or fascial incision, prepares it as small fragments, and places it at the fusion site to support bone healing. The iliac crest is a common harvest site. Orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons perform this work in the operating room as part of cervical, thoracic, or lumbar arthrodesis.
Report this add-on only with an eligible primary spinal procedure. It represents obtaining and preparing the patient’s morselized bone, not a standalone service. Documentation should identify the autologous graft, its morselized form, the separate harvest incision and site, and placement at the fusion site. CMS classifies 20937 as an add-on code: it must be billed with a primary procedure, and its payment falls within that procedure’s global period.
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.
20937 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | Unavailable | $182.83 |
How the 20937 rate is calculated
Each of 20937’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 · 20937
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work2.72
2.72 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.90
0.90 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.79
0.79 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
4.4100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$147.30
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 20937
The CMS indicators that decide how 20937 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 20937
Spinal bone graft
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 80 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
20937 without 80 · national facility
$147.30
Spinal bone graft
20937-80 · Assistant: 16%
$23.57
A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.
20937 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 20936Sp bone agrft local add-on
- Use 20936 for local autograft obtained at the operative site. Use 20937 for morselized autograft taken through a separate skin or fascial incision.
- 20938Spinal bone graft
- Both describe spinal autograft harvested through a separate incision; 20937 is for morselized graft, while 20938 is for structural graft.
- 20930Sp bone algrft morsel add-on
- 20930 describes morselized allograft from a donor source. 20937 describes morselized bone harvested from the patient.
20937 billing questions
How does 20937 differ from 20936?
20937 describes morselized autograft harvested through a separate skin or fascial incision. 20936 is for local autograft obtained at the operative site.
When would 20938 be used instead?
20938 is for structural autograft harvested through a separate incision. Choose 20937 when the harvested autograft is morselized rather than structural.
Can 20937 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with an eligible primary spinal procedure.
Is the bone harvest included in 20937?
Yes. The code includes obtaining the patient’s bone through a separate incision and preparing it as morselized graft.
What documentation supports reporting 20937?
The operative report should establish that the graft came from the patient, was harvested through a separate incision, was morselized, and was placed at the fusion site.
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
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