Billing code 63085: Thoracic corpectomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Utah
Reports partial or complete removal of a thoracic vertebral body to decompress the spinal cord or nerve root at one segment.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 63085 in Utah.
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 63085 covers
A spine surgeon reports this service when part or all of a thoracic vertebral body is removed to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or a nerve root. The work includes partial or complete removal of the disc at that level. Clinical reasons can include a thoracic vertebral tumor, destructive fracture, or infection causing neural compression. These operations are generally performed in a hospital operating room.
Select this code for one thoracic vertebral segment; document the level, the vertebral body resection, and the neural decompression performed. Additional thoracic segments are reported with the applicable add-on code, not by extending the single-segment service. 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. CMS permits assistant-at-surgery, co-surgeon, and team-surgery payment for this service.
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.
63085 in Utah
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | Unavailable | $1,754.88 |
How the 63085 rate is calculated
Each of 63085’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 · 63085
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 28.73Practice expense 16.13Malpractice 9.63
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 63085
63085 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 63085
Thoracic corpectomy
| 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) | 2 | 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 · 63085
Thoracic corpectomy
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
63085 without 51 · national facility
$1,820.02
Thoracic corpectomy
63085-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$910.01
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%).
63085 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
63085 vs 63064 vs 63086 vs 63087 vs 63090: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 63064Spinal decompression
- Choose 63085 when thoracic vertebral body resection is performed for neural decompression. Code 63064 describes a different thoracic decompression approach without this corpectomy service.
- 63086Vertebral corpectomy
- 63085 represents the first thoracic vertebral segment; 63086 is the add-on code for each additional thoracic segment.
- 63087Vertebral body removal
- Both describe vertebral body resection for neural decompression, but 63087 is for the thoracolumbar region rather than a thoracic segment.
- 63090Vertebral corpectomy
- Use 63090 for lumbar vertebral body resection for neural decompression; 63085 is the corresponding single-segment service for the thoracic region.
63085 billing questions
When should this code be used instead of a thoracic decompression code?
Use it when the surgeon removes part or all of a thoracic vertebral body for spinal cord or nerve root decompression. A decompression performed without vertebral body resection is represented by a different code.
Does the service include disc removal at the treated level?
Yes. Partial or complete discectomy at the corpectomy level is included in the service.
How are additional thoracic segments reported?
Report the single-segment service for the first thoracic segment and use 63086 for each additional thoracic segment when the documented work meets that code’s requirements.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should identify the thoracic level, describe partial or complete vertebral body removal, and explain the spinal cord or nerve root decompression performed.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS permits payment for an assistant at surgery, co-surgeons, and team surgery for this service.
How does the multiple-procedure rule affect same-session services?
When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard 50% reduction to the others.
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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