CPT code 22856: Artificial disc2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Reports anterior cervical disc replacement at one interspace, including removal of the disc, endplate preparation, necessary decompression, and artificial disc placement.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 22856 in Delaware.
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 22856 covers
22856 represents anterior cervical disc replacement at one intervertebral level. The surgeon removes the diseased disc, prepares the adjacent endplates, performs necessary decompression, and places an artificial disc while preserving motion rather than fusing the segment. Spine surgeons typically perform this operation in a facility operating room for selected patients with symptomatic cervical disc disease, including radiculopathy or myelopathy.
Report once for the treated cervical interspace. Documentation should identify the anterior approach, level, disc removal and endplate preparation, decompression performed, and prosthesis placement. For another cervical level treated during the same operation, report add-on code 22858. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care through day 90. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this single-interspace service. Assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeon reporting are permitted; team-surgery billing 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.
22856 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Unavailable | $1,495.13 |
How the 22856 rate is calculated
Each of 22856’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 · 22856
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work23.45
23.45 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense14.72
14.72 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice7.40
7.40 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
45.5700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,522.08
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 22856
22856 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 22856
Artificial disc
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 2 | Permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 22856
Artificial disc
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
22856 without 51 · national facility
$1,522.08
Artificial disc
22856-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$761.04
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%).
22856 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 22551ACDF
- Use 22856 when the surgeon implants an artificial cervical disc to preserve motion. Use 22551 when the treated level is fused after anterior discectomy.
- 22858Cervical disc replacement
- 22856 reports the primary cervical interspace; 22858 reports each additional cervical interspace treated in the same arthroplasty session.
- 22857Lumbar disc replacement
- 22857 describes single-level total disc replacement in the lumbar spine. Code 22856 is for the cervical spine.
- 22861Disc revision
- 22856 is for primary cervical artificial disc implantation. Code 22861 is for revision or replacement of an existing cervical artificial disc.
22856 billing questions
How is 22856 different from cervical fusion code 22551?
22856 reports cervical disc replacement with an artificial disc. Code 22551 is used when the surgeon performs anterior cervical discectomy and fusion instead.
How should a second treated cervical level be reported?
Report 22856 for the first cervical interspace and add-on code 22858 for each additional treated cervical interspace, when supported by the operative report.
Can the disc removal or decompression be billed separately?
The disc removal, endplate preparation, and decompression integral to the arthroplasty are included in 22856. The operative report should describe the work performed as part of the replacement.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeon reporting for 22856. Team-surgery billing is not permitted for this code.
Does modifier 50 apply when both sides of the neck are treated?
Modifier 50 is inappropriate for 22856 because the service is defined by a single cervical interspace, not a paired structure.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care through day 90.
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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