No office rate
This code describes lumbar excision or evacuation of an extradural lesion other than a neoplasm. Code 63200 is for releasing a tethered cord.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
63200 Tethered cord release Medicare reimbursement rates in Michigan
Reports lumbar surgery to free a tethered spinal cord, such as release of a thickened filum or adhesions restricting cord movement. Compare 63200 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Michigan.
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 63200 in Michigan?
Michigan 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
$1525.27–$1716.05
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.
Neurosurgery
About 63200: Lumbar tethered spinal cord release
Reports lumbar surgery to free a tethered spinal cord, such as release of a thickened filum or adhesions restricting cord movement.
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.
CMS billing rules for 63200
- 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 not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU20.90 · 45%
- Practice expense (office) RVU16.33 · 36%
- Malpractice RVU8.73 · 19%
111
Medicare services in 2024 · #4801 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.
63200 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Michigan, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
This code is for excision or evacuation of a lumbar intradural, extramedullary lesion other than a neoplasm; 63200 describes release of tethering.
No office rate
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.
Compare 63200 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
Detroit →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1716.05
Rest Of Michigan →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1525.27
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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 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.
7,03663190,,Incise spine nrv >2 segmnts,A,,18.42,11.34,NA,11.34,,3.92,33.68,33.68,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,03763191,,Incise spine accessory nerve,A,,18.45,15.00,NA,15.00,,7.77,41.22,41.22,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,03863197,,Lam w/cordotomy 1stg thrc,A,,23.48,17.01,NA,17.01,,9.92,50.41,50.41,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,03963200,,Release spinal cord lumbar,A,,20.90,16.33,NA,16.33,,8.73,45.96,45.96,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,04063250,,Revise spinal cord vsls crvl,A,,42.76,24.05,NA,24.05,,18.05,84.86,84.86,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,04163251,,Revise spinal cord vsls thrc,A,,43.52,25.07,NA,25.07,,18.37,86.96,86.96,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,04263252,,Revise spine cord vsl thrlmb,A,,43.51,25.06,NA,25.06,,18.37,86.94,86.94,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00