Billing code 63078: Thoracic disk surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports anterior thoracic disk removal with spinal cord or nerve root decompression at each additional interspace beyond the primary thoracic level.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 63078 in Texas.
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 63078 covers
This add-on represents treatment of an additional thoracic disk interspace through an anterior approach, removing disk material and decompressing the spinal cord or nerve root; associated bone spurs may also be removed. It is typically performed by a spine surgeon or neurosurgeon in an operating room for thoracic disk disease causing cord or nerve root compression. The code describes another interspace treated, not another piece of disk removed from the same space.
Report 63078 only with the primary thoracic interspace procedure, 63077. The operative report should identify the thoracic interspaces treated and document the anterior disk removal and neural decompression at each additional space. CMS classifies 63078 as an add-on code: it is billed with a primary procedure and paid within that 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 63078 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | Unavailable | $186.03 |
| Beaumont | Unavailable | $182.19 |
| Brazoria | Unavailable | $179.46 |
| Dallas | Unavailable | $183.22 |
| Fort Worth | Unavailable | $183.42 |
| Galveston | Unavailable | $181.67 |
| Houston | Unavailable | $206.01 |
| Rest Of Texas | Unavailable | $182.50 |
How the 63078 rate is calculated
Each of 63078’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 · 63078
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 3.20Practice expense 1.12Malpractice 1.33
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 63078
The CMS indicators that decide how 63078 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 63078
Thoracic disk surgery
| 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
63078 without 80 · national facility
$188.72
Thoracic disk surgery
63078-80 · Assistant: 16%
$30.20
A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.
63078 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
63078 vs 63077 vs 63076 vs 63055 vs 63086: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 63077Thoracic disc surgery
- 63077 reports the primary thoracic interspace procedure; 63078 reports each additional thoracic interspace and must accompany the primary code.
- 63076Cervical decompression
- Both are add-on codes for an additional interspace, but 63076 applies to the cervical region and 63078 to the thoracic region.
- 63055Spinal decompression
- 63055 describes thoracic disk decompression through a transpedicular approach; 63078 is for an additional interspace treated with the anterior disk procedure.
- 63086Vertebral corpectomy
- 63086 adds another thoracic vertebral body removal for decompression; 63078 adds another thoracic interspace treated by disk surgery.
63078 billing questions
What primary code must accompany 63078?
Report 63078 with 63077 for the primary thoracic interspace. It is not reported by itself.
When is 63078 used instead of 63077?
Use 63077 for the primary thoracic interspace and 63078 for each additional thoracic interspace treated by the anterior disk procedure.
What documentation supports an additional unit?
The operative report should identify each additional thoracic interspace and describe disk removal and spinal cord or nerve root decompression there.
Is 63078 paid outside the primary procedure’s global period?
No. CMS identifies it as an add-on code paid within the primary procedure’s global period.
Does 63078 describe removal of another disk fragment?
No. It represents treatment of an additional interspace, not additional material removed from the same interspace.
How does 63078 differ from thoracic vertebral body removal?
63078 describes an additional interspace treated through an anterior disk procedure. Code 63086 is an add-on for additional thoracic vertebral body removal performed for decompression.
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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