No office rate
Both are thoracic laminectomy decompressions without facet, foraminal, or disc removal. 63003 covers one or two segments; 63016 is for more than two.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
63016 Laminectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Massachusetts
A surgeon removes posterior bone across more than two thoracic spinal segments to inspect or decompress the spinal canal without facet, foraminal, or disc removal. Compare 63016 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Massachusetts.
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 63016 in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$1446.41–$1556.78
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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 63016: Multilevel thoracic laminectomy decompression
A surgeon removes posterior bone across more than two thoracic spinal segments to inspect or decompress the spinal canal without facet, foraminal, or disc removal.
A spine surgeon performs this multilevel thoracic decompression by removing posterior vertebral bone to access and enlarge the spinal canal, typically for thoracic canal narrowing that compresses the spinal cord. The operative work extends across more than two thoracic segments and does not include the facet removal, foraminal enlargement, or disc removal that would distinguish other decompression services. It is generally performed in a hospital operating room by an orthopedic spine surgeon or neurosurgeon.
Select the code from the documented spinal region and number of segments treated. The operative report should identify the thoracic levels and describe the decompression performed, including whether facets, foramina, or disc material were removed. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. 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. Bilateral adjustment is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery and co-surgeon services may be paid; team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 63016
- 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 RVU21.48 · 49%
- Practice expense (office) RVU14.39 · 33%
- Malpractice RVU7.94 · 18%
458
Medicare services in 2024 · #3641 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.
63016 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Massachusetts, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
This code describes more-than-two-segment decompression in the thoracic region; 63017 is the corresponding lumbar-region service.
No office rate
Use 63046 for thoracic decompression that includes facetectomy and foraminotomy. 63016 describes a different decompression pattern without those procedures or disc removal.
Compare 63016 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Metropolitan Boston →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1556.78
Rest Of Massachusetts →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1446.41
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63016 billing questions
How does this differ from 63003?
Both describe thoracic laminectomy decompression without facet, foraminal, or disc removal. Use 63016 when the work spans more than two thoracic segments; 63003 is for one or two.
Is the code reported per thoracic level?
Choose it based on the documented extent of the procedure: more than two thoracic segments. The operative note should name the treated levels rather than presenting the service as a count of separately billed units.
What if the surgeon also removes facet bone or enlarges a foramen?
Those details distinguish other decompression services, including thoracic laminectomy with facetectomy and foraminotomy, such as 63046. The operative report should support the actual work performed.
Should modifier 50 be appended for bilateral decompression?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery and co-surgeon services may be paid under the CMS rules for this code. Team surgery is not permitted.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.
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.
6,99163011,,Remove spine lamina 1/2 scrl,A,,15.51,10.72,NA,10.72,,4.03,30.26,30.26,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,99263012,,Remove lamina/facets lumbar,A,,16.43,12.37,NA,12.37,,5.62,34.42,34.42,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,99363015,,Remove spine lamina >2 crvcl,A,,20.33,15.08,NA,15.08,,7.84,43.25,43.25,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,99463016,,Remove spine lamina >2 thrc,A,,21.48,14.39,NA,14.39,,7.94,43.81,43.81,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,99563017,,Remove spine lamina >2 lmbr,A,,16.90,13.89,NA,13.89,,6.49,37.28,37.28,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,99663020,,Lamot dcmprn nrv rt 1 cerv,A,,14.54,12.56,NA,12.56,,4.76,31.86,31.86,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,99763030,,Lamot dcmprn nrv rt 1 lmbr,A,,11.70,11.35,NA,11.35,,3.84,26.89,26.89,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00