CPT code 63005: Lumbar laminectomy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Nevada
Reports lumbar lamina removal to decompress neural structures across one or two vertebral segments, without separately described facetectomy, foraminotomy, or discectomy.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 63005 in Nevada.
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 63005 covers
A spine surgeon removes lumbar lamina to enlarge the spinal canal and relieve compression of neural structures such as the cauda equina. The service may be performed for lumbar canal stenosis or to remove a spinal extradural lesion. It is an operative decompression, typically performed in a hospital operating room, rather than a limited laminotomy directed at a single nerve root.
Select this code when the documented laminectomy covers one or two lumbar vertebral segments and the work does not include the facetectomy, foraminotomy, or discectomy described by other procedure codes. The operative report should identify the lumbar levels, the decompression performed, and any additional work. Medicare 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 others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Bilateral adjustment does not apply. Assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons are permitted; team surgery is not.
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.
63005 in Nevada**
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada** | Unavailable | $1,158.73 |
How the 63005 rate is calculated
Each of 63005’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 · 63005
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work16.02
16.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense13.56
13.56 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice6.12
6.12 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
35.7000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,192.41
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 63005
63005 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 63005
Lumbar laminectomy
| 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) | 0.11/0.76/0.13 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 63005
Lumbar laminectomy
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
63005 without 51 · national facility
$1,192.41
Lumbar laminectomy
63005-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$596.21
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%).
63005 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 63017Lumbar laminectomy
- Choose 63005 for one or two lumbar vertebral segments; 63017 describes lumbar laminectomy extending across more than two segments.
- 63047Lumbar decompression
- 63047 describes lumbar decompression with facetectomy and foraminotomy. 63005 is the laminectomy code when those additional procedures are not part of the documented work.
- 63030Lumbar decompression
- 63030 describes a lumbar laminotomy for nerve-root decompression. 63005 describes a laminectomy across one or two lumbar vertebral segments.
63005 billing questions
How does this differ from 63017?
63005 covers one or two lumbar vertebral segments. 63017 is the lumbar laminectomy code for more than two segments.
When is 63047 a better choice?
Use 63047 when the documented lumbar decompression includes the facetectomy and foraminotomy described by that code. 63005 is for laminectomy without those additional procedures.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral work?
The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to 63005, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
What documentation supports reporting 63005?
The operative report should identify the lumbar vertebral level or levels and describe the lamina removal and neural decompression. It should also clarify whether additional procedures, such as facetectomy, foraminotomy, or discectomy, were performed.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons for this code. Team surgery is not permitted.
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
Fee sheets
Put 63005 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →