Billing code 63200: Tethered cord releaseMedicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Reports lumbar surgery to free a tethered spinal cord, such as release of a thickened filum or adhesions restricting cord movement.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 63200 in Florida.
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 63200 covers
This service involves a lumbar laminectomy to reach and release a tethered spinal cord. The surgeon may divide a thickened filum terminale or free the cord from tethering adhesions, depending on the anatomy and operative findings. Neurosurgeons, including pediatric neurosurgeons, commonly perform the procedure in a hospital operating room for congenital tethering or other documented causes of restricted cord movement.
Select the code when the operative objective is lumbar cord release, rather than removal of a spinal lesion as the primary procedure. The operative report should identify the lumbar approach, the tethering anatomy, and the release performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including 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% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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.
Where 63200 pays more and less in Florida
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | Unavailable | $1,777.80 |
| Miami | Unavailable | $2,003.31 |
| Rest Of Florida | Unavailable | $1,657.78 |
How the 63200 rate is calculated
Each of 63200’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 · 63200
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 20.90Practice expense 16.33Malpractice 8.73
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 63200
63200 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 63200
Tethered cord release
| 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) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.11/0.76/0.13 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 63200
Tethered cord release
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
63200 without 51 · national facility
$1,535.11
Tethered cord release
63200-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$767.56
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%).
63200 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
63200 vs 63267 vs 63272 vs 63282: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 63267Spinal lesion excision
- This code describes lumbar excision or evacuation of an extradural lesion other than a neoplasm. Code 63200 is for releasing a tethered cord.
- 63272Spinal lesion surgery
- This code is for excision or evacuation of a lumbar intradural, extramedullary lesion other than a neoplasm; 63200 describes release of tethering.
- 63282Spinal lesion surgery
- This code applies to biopsy or excision of a lumbar intradural, extramedullary neoplasm. Use 63200 when the operative objective is cord release rather than tumor work.
63200 billing questions
When should this code be chosen over a lumbar lesion-excision code?
Use this code when the operative objective is to free a tethered cord. Choose a lesion-excision code when removal or evacuation of a spinal lesion is the primary work.
Is modifier 50 appropriate for a tethered cord release?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; the lumbar release is not reported as a bilateral procedure.
Can an assistant surgeon be reported?
CMS indicates that an assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
What happens if another procedure is performed during the same session?
CMS applies the standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to a 50% reduction.
What documentation supports reporting this service?
The operative report should describe the lumbar approach, the tethering anatomy, and the cord release performed, such as division of a thickened filum or release of adhesions.
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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