No office rate
22552 is the add-on for each additional cervical interspace; 22551 reports the primary interspace.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
22551 ACDF Medicare reimbursement rates in Alaska
Reports anterior cervical discectomy and fusion at one interspace below C2 when the surgeon also decompresses the spinal cord or nerve roots. Compare 22551 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alaska.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 22551 in Alaska?
Alaska has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$1921.99
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alaska*
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Spinal surgery
About 22551: Anterior cervical fusion with decompression
Reports anterior cervical discectomy and fusion at one interspace below C2 when the surgeon also decompresses the spinal cord or nerve roots.
This code describes an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion at a single interspace below C2 that includes removal of disc and bone material to decompress the spinal cord or nerve roots. A spine surgeon, commonly an orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon, performs the operation in an operating room. The surgeon prepares the disc space and fuses the adjacent vertebrae, often using graft material and an interbody device. Typical indications include cervical disc disease or osteophytes causing radiculopathy or myelopathy when decompression and fusion are performed at that level.
Report 22551 for one treated interspace when the operative documentation supports both decompression and fusion; the documented level and work distinguish it from fusion without decompression. Additional cervical interspaces may be reported with add-on code 22552. Disc removal, osteophyte removal, and decompression at the coded level are included. CMS 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 receive the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this anatomy. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made, co-surgeons are permitted, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 22551
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU24.38 · 51%
- Practice expense (office) RVU15.43 · 32%
- Malpractice RVU8.24 · 17%
51.6K
Medicare services in 2024 · #769 by national volume
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.
22551 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alaska, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
22554 is for cervical anterior fusion without decompression. Choose 22551 when the surgeon also decompresses the spinal cord or nerve roots.
No office rate
22558 describes anterior interbody fusion in the lumbar region, rather than the cervical interspace below C2 covered by 22551.
Compare 22551 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Alaska* →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1921.99
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 22551 in Alaska*.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,083
- Code
- 22551
- Physician work
- 24.38
- Practice expense
- 15.43
- Malpractice
- 8.24
GPCI2026.csv
5
- Locality
- Alaska*
- Physician work
- 1.500
- Practice expense
- 1.065
- Malpractice
- 0.551
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 24.38 | × 1.500 | 36.5700 |
| Practice expense | 15.43 | × 1.065 | 16.4329 |
| Malpractice | 8.24 | × 0.551 | 4.5402 |
| Total RVUs | 57.5432 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alaska*$1921.99
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 24.38 | 1.5 |
| Practice expense | 15.43 | 1.065 |
| Malpractice | 8.24 | 0.551 |
(24.38 × 1.5 + 15.43 × 1.065 + 8.24 × 0.551) × $33.4009 = $1921.99
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
22551 billing questions
When should 22551 be chosen over 22554?
Use 22551 when the surgeon performs cervical decompression along with the fusion at the interspace. Code 22554 describes cervical anterior fusion without that decompression work.
Can 22552 be reported with 22551?
Yes. Report 22552 as the add-on for each additional cervical interspace treated with the qualifying fusion and decompression service.
Is the discectomy separately reported at the 22551 level?
No. Disc removal, osteophyte removal, and neural decompression at the treated level are included in 22551.
What should the operative report document?
Document the cervical level, the decompression performed, the fusion work, and the number of interspaces treated. The record should support that the work at the 22551 level included decompression as well as fusion.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS permits payment for an assistant at surgery and permits co-surgeons for this code. Team-surgery billing is not permitted.
Should modifier 50 be used for two-sided cervical work?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code's anatomy; report the treated interspace rather than bilateral units.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
2,08022533,,Arthrd lat xtrcvtry tq lmbr,A,,24.17,15.51,NA,15.51,,6.66,46.34,46.34,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,08122534,,Arthrd lat xtrcvtry tq ea ad,A,,5.84,1.94,NA,1.94,,1.91,9.69,9.69,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,08222548,,Arthrd ant toral/xoral c1-c2,A,,26.38,20.66,NA,20.66,,11.15,58.19,58.19,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,08322551,,Arthrd ant ntrbdy cervical,A,,24.38,15.43,NA,15.43,,8.24,48.05,48.05,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,08422552,,Arthrd ant ntrbd cervical ea,A,,6.34,2.13,NA,2.13,,2.10,10.57,10.57,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,08522554,,Arthrd ant ntrbd min dsc crv,A,,17.25,13.35,NA,13.35,,5.80,36.40,36.40,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,08622556,,Arthrd ant ntrbd min dsc thc,A,,24.08,16.08,NA,16.08,,7.71,47.87,47.87,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,,,,,,
3Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC),State,Locality Number,Locality Name,2026 PW GPCI (with 1.0 Floor)***,2026 PE GPCI,2026 MP GPCI
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515
801112,CA,54,BAKERSFIELD,1.019,1.096,0.609