Billing code 22848: Pelvic fixationMedicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Reports pelvic anchoring of spinal instrumentation to pelvic bone other than the sacrum, as an add-on to an eligible primary instrumentation procedure.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 22848 in Oregon.
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 22848 covers
Code 22848 captures the pelvic anchor at the lower end of spinal instrumentation when fixation is attached to pelvic bone other than the sacrum, commonly through iliac fixation. Orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons report it during instrumented lumbosacral fusion or long constructs for spinal deformity when the construct is extended into the pelvis. It represents the pelvic fixation service, not a count of individual screws.
Report 22848 only with an eligible primary spinal instrumentation procedure, such as 22840 or 22842–22844; it is not a stand-alone line. Select the primary instrumentation code by its own construct and segment criteria, then report 22848 when operative documentation shows attachment of the caudal construct to pelvic bone. The operative report should identify the pelvic anchor site and its connection to the spinal construct. CMS pays this add-on within the primary procedure’s global period.
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 22848 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Unavailable | $313.04 |
| Rest Of Oregon | Unavailable | $300.12 |
How the 22848 rate is calculated
Each of 22848’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 · 22848
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 5.84Practice expense 1.93Malpractice 1.74
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 22848
The CMS indicators that decide how 22848 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 22848
Pelvic fixation
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| 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. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 80 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
22848 without 80 · national facility
$317.64
Pelvic fixation
22848-80 · Assistant: 16%
$50.82
A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.
22848 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
22848 vs 22840 vs 22842 vs 22843 vs 22844: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 22840Spinal fixation
- 22840 reports nonsegmental spinal fixation. Add 22848 when the caudal end of an eligible construct is also anchored to pelvic bone other than the sacrum.
- 22842Spinal fixation
- 22842 is the primary segmental instrumentation code for a 3–6 vertebral-segment construct; 22848 separately reports its pelvic anchoring when performed.
- 22843Spinal fixation
- 22843 is the primary segmental instrumentation code for a 7–12 vertebral-segment construct; 22848 identifies the additional pelvic fixation.
- 22844Spinal fixation
- 22844 is the primary segmental instrumentation code for a construct of 13 or more vertebral segments; 22848 reports pelvic anchoring separately.
22848 billing questions
What distinguishes 22848 from 22842–22844?
Those codes describe the spinal instrumentation construct by vertebral segment range. Code 22848 reports the additional pelvic anchoring of that construct.
Which primary codes can be reported with 22848?
Report it with an eligible primary instrumentation code, including 22840 or 22842–22844. It cannot be billed as a stand-alone procedure.
Does 22848 describe fixation to the sacrum?
It describes attachment to pelvic bone other than the sacrum, such as iliac fixation. Sacral-only fixation does not meet that distinction.
Is 22848 reported per screw or per side?
The code represents the pelvic fixation service, not each individual screw. Do not derive claim units from the number of implanted screws.
How does the global-period payment work?
CMS treats 22848 as an add-on and pays it within the global period of the primary procedure. The claim must include an eligible primary procedure.
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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