No office rate
22857 is the primary code for one lumbar interspace; 22860 is the add-on for each additional lumbar interspace.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
22857 Lumbar disc replacement Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Reports anterior placement of an artificial disc at one lumbar interspace after discectomy and endplate preparation, preserving motion rather than fusing the segment. Compare 22857 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Colorado.
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 22857 in Colorado?
Colorado 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
$1570.09
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Colorado
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.
Spine surgery
About 22857: Single-level lumbar artificial disc replacement
Reports anterior placement of an artificial disc at one lumbar interspace after discectomy and endplate preparation, preserving motion rather than fusing the segment.
A spine surgeon, commonly an orthopedic spine surgeon or neurosurgeon, removes the lumbar disc through an anterior approach, prepares the vertebral endplates, and places an artificial disc prosthesis at one interspace. The operation is generally performed in a hospital or ambulatory surgery setting for selected patients with symptomatic lumbar degenerative disc disease. The work includes the discectomy, endplate preparation, and associated osteophyte removal described for the procedure.
Report 22857 for the primary lumbar interspace; use 22860 for each additional lumbar interspace when applicable. The operative report should identify the lumbar level, anterior approach, disc removal and endplate preparation, and prosthesis placement. CMS includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care in the 90-day global period. 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 for this single spinal interspace. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made, co-surgeons are permitted, and team-surgery payment is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 22857
- 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 RVU26.45 · 56%
- Practice expense (office) RVU14.89 · 32%
- Malpractice RVU5.63 · 12%
51
Medicare services in 2024 · #5338 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.
22857 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
22857 places an artificial disc to preserve motion. 22558 describes anterior lumbar interbody fusion.
22862
No office rateRev rplcm rthrp 1ntrspc lmbr
22857 describes primary artificial disc placement. 22862 is for revision or replacement of a lumbar artificial disc.
No office rate
22856 is the primary artificial disc replacement code for a cervical interspace; 22857 is for a lumbar interspace.
Compare 22857 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
Colorado →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1570.09
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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 22857 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,128
- Code
- 22857
- Physician work
- 26.45
- Practice expense
- 14.89
- Malpractice
- 5.63
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 26.45 | × 1.012 | 26.7674 |
| Practice expense | 14.89 | × 1.064 | 15.8430 |
| Malpractice | 5.63 | × 0.781 | 4.3970 |
| Total RVUs | 47.0074 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Colorado$1570.09
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 26.45 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 14.89 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 5.63 | 0.781 |
(26.45 × 1.012 + 14.89 × 1.064 + 5.63 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $1570.09
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.
22857 billing questions
When is 22860 reported with 22857?
Report 22857 for the primary lumbar interspace and 22860 for each additional lumbar interspace treated during the same operation. The documentation should identify the treated levels.
How is 22857 different from lumbar fusion?
22857 describes placement of an artificial disc after discectomy and endplate preparation. A lumbar fusion code such as 22558 describes arthrodesis rather than motion-preserving disc replacement.
Can modifier 50 be used for 22857?
No. The code represents treatment of one spinal interspace, not a paired body structure, and the CMS bilateral adjustment is unavailable.
What work is included in 22857?
The service includes disc removal, endplate preparation, and the associated osteophyte removal described for the procedure, along with placement of the artificial disc. Document these operative steps and the lumbar level.
What are the assistant and co-surgeon rules?
CMS allows assistant-at-surgery payment and permits co-surgeons for 22857. Team-surgery payment is not permitted.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
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.
2,12522854,,Insj biomechanical device,A,,5.36,1.80,NA,1.80,,1.84,9.00,9.00,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,12622855,,Removal anterior instrmj,A,,15.46,11.10,NA,11.10,,4.90,31.46,31.46,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,12722856,,Tot disc arthrp 1ntrspc crv,A,,23.45,14.72,NA,14.72,,7.40,45.57,45.57,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,12822857,,Tot disc arthrp 1ntrspc lmbr,A,,26.45,14.89,NA,14.89,,5.63,46.97,46.97,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,12922858,,Tot disc arthrp 2nd lvl crv,A,,8.19,2.72,NA,2.72,,2.54,13.45,13.45,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,13022859,,Insj biomechanical device,A,,5.36,1.81,NA,1.81,,1.82,8.99,8.99,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,13122860,,Tot disc arthrp 2ntrspc lmbr,A,,6.71,1.92,NA,1.92,,1.68,10.31,10.31,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3401112,CA,69,VISALIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3501112,CA,70,YUBA CITY,1.017,1.096,0.536
3601112,CA,75,REST OF CALIFORNIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3704112,CO,01,COLORADO,1.012,1.064,0.781
3813102,CT,00,CONNECTICUT,1.020,1.077,1.210
3912202,DC,01,DC + MD/VA SUBURBS,1.054,1.178,1.113
4012102,DE,01,DELAWARE,1.005,0.988,0.899