Billing code 63301: Vertebral resectionMedicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Reports partial or complete removal of a thoracic vertebral body to excise an extradural intraspinal lesion at one vertebral segment.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 63301 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 63301 covers
This service involves removing part or all of a thoracic vertebral body to reach and excise an extradural lesion within the spinal canal. A spine surgeon or neurosurgeon typically performs it in an operating room when a lesion, such as an extradural spinal tumor, requires this bony exposure and resection. The code describes one vertebral segment; the lesion is extradural, rather than within the dura.
Select the code based on the operative report’s documented lesion location, extradural status, thoracic level, and vertebral segment resected. Code 63308 may be reported for each additional segment when the work extends beyond the primary segment. The 90-day global period includes 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 multiple procedure reduction. Bilateral adjustment is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 63301 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Unavailable | $2,131.40 |
| Rest Of Oregon | Unavailable | $2,018.07 |
How the 63301 rate is calculated
Each of 63301’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 · 63301
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 30.78Practice expense 20.59Malpractice 12.99
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 63301
63301 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 63301
Vertebral resection
| 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) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| 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 · 63301
Vertebral resection
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
63301 without 51 · national facility
$2,149.68
Vertebral resection
63301-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,074.84
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%).
63301 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
63301 vs 63300 vs 63302 vs 63305 vs 63308: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 63300Vertebral resection
- This code is for the thoracic region; 63300 is the extradural counterpart for a cervical lesion.
- 63302Vertebral body removal
- This code is for a thoracic segment. Code 63302 applies when the documented level is thoracolumbar.
- 63305Vertebral resection
- Both are thoracic vertebral body resections for intraspinal lesions. Choose 63301 for an extradural lesion and 63305 for an intradural lesion.
- 63308Vertebral resection
- Code 63301 represents the primary single-segment service; 63308 is the add-on for each additional vertebral segment.
63301 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from the cervical or thoracolumbar codes?
This code applies to an extradural lesion treated by vertebral body resection in the thoracic region. Use the corresponding code when the documented site is cervical, thoracolumbar, or lumbar/sacral.
What distinguishes this from code 63305?
Both concern thoracic vertebral body resection for an intraspinal lesion, but 63301 is for an extradural lesion and 63305 is for an intradural lesion.
When is code 63308 reported with this service?
Code 63308 is the add-on for each additional vertebral segment when resection extends beyond the single primary segment. The operative report should identify the additional segment or segments.
What documentation supports reporting 63301?
The operative report should establish that the lesion was extradural, identify its thoracic location, and describe partial or complete vertebral body resection and the segment treated.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral work?
No. Bilateral adjustment is inappropriate for this code under the CMS facts.
How are assistant and co-surgeon services handled?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while 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 63301 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 →