No office rate
22554 covers cervical fusion with limited disc removal to prepare the space; 22551 applies when the cervical disc work includes decompression.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
22554 Cervical fusion Medicare reimbursement rates in Connecticut
Reports anterior interbody fusion at a cervical level below C2 when disc removal is limited to preparing the space and is not for decompression. Compare 22554 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Connecticut.
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 22554 in Connecticut?
Connecticut 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
$1302.33
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Connecticut
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 22554: Anterior cervical interbody fusion without decompression
Reports anterior interbody fusion at a cervical level below C2 when disc removal is limited to preparing the space and is not for decompression.
A spine surgeon approaches the cervical spine from the front and joins adjacent vertebrae with an interbody fusion. The code includes limited disc removal to prepare the space for fusion, but that removal is not performed to decompress neural structures. Neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons commonly perform this operation in a hospital or other surgical facility for cervical disc or alignment problems requiring fusion.
Select 22554 when the operative report supports anterior interbody fusion below C2 and distinguishes preparatory disc removal from decompression. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made, and co-surgeons are permitted; team surgery is not. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. The code represents the fusion service, not a bilateral procedure.
CMS billing rules for 22554
- 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 RVU17.25 · 47%
- Practice expense (office) RVU13.35 · 37%
- Malpractice RVU5.80 · 16%
4.7K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1922 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.
22554 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Connecticut, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
22558 describes the comparable anterior interbody fusion service in the lumbar region, rather than the cervical region below C2.
No office rate
22585 is the add-on for each additional interspace; 22554 reports the primary cervical interspace service.
Compare 22554 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
Connecticut →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1302.33
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
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 22554 in Connecticut.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,085
- Code
- 22554
- Physician work
- 17.25
- Practice expense
- 13.35
- Malpractice
- 5.80
GPCI2026.csv
38
- Locality
- Connecticut
- Physician work
- 1.020
- Practice expense
- 1.077
- Malpractice
- 1.210
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 17.25 | × 1.020 | 17.5950 |
| Practice expense | 13.35 | × 1.077 | 14.3779 |
| Malpractice | 5.80 | × 1.210 | 7.0180 |
| Total RVUs | 38.9909 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Connecticut$1302.33
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 17.25 | 1.02 |
| Practice expense | 13.35 | 1.077 |
| Malpractice | 5.8 | 1.21 |
(17.25 × 1.02 + 13.35 × 1.077 + 5.8 × 1.21) × $33.4009 = $1302.33
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.
22554 billing questions
How is 22554 distinguished from 22551?
Use 22554 when the anterior cervical fusion includes only the limited disc removal needed to prepare the interspace. When the disc work includes decompression, 22551 is the relevant cervical fusion code.
Is the preparatory disc removal separately reported?
No. The limited disc removal to prepare the interspace is included in 22554. Document whether disc removal was only preparatory or was also performed for decompression.
Can an additional cervical interspace be reported?
For an additional interspace fused using this non-decompression approach, 22585 is the add-on code. The operative report should identify each treated interspace.
Should modifier 50 be appended?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for 22554; the code is not adjusted as a bilateral service.
How does the global period affect postoperative visits?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the following 90 days.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made, and co-surgeons are permitted. Team surgery is not permitted for this code.
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.
2,08222548,,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
2,08722558,,Arthrd ant ntrbd min dsc lum,A,,22.94,13.20,NA,13.20,,6.49,42.63,42.63,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,08822585,,Arthrd ant ntrbd min dsc ea,A,,5.38,1.62,NA,1.62,,1.61,8.61,8.61,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
4109102,FL,03,FORT LAUDERDALE,1.000,1.013,1.808