No office rate
Use 22600 for a single-level posterior or posterolateral cervical fusion. Code 22610 is for the thoracic region.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
22610 Spinal fusion Medicare reimbursement rates in Vermont
Reports a posterior or posterolateral fusion at one thoracic spinal level, typically during surgery for instability, deformity, or another condition requiring stabilization. Compare 22610 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Vermont.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 22610 in Vermont?
Vermont has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$1155.17
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Vermont
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Spine surgery
About 22610: Single-level posterior thoracic fusion
Reports a posterior or posterolateral fusion at one thoracic spinal level, typically during surgery for instability, deformity, or another condition requiring stabilization.
A spine surgeon performs this fusion through a posterior approach, joining one thoracic spinal level to promote bone union and stability. It may be part of surgery for thoracic instability, deformity, or a fracture requiring stabilization. These procedures are typically performed in a hospital operating room; Medicare’s 2024 claims show facility services for this code and no office services.
Select the code when the operative report supports a posterior or posterolateral fusion at a single thoracic level. Document the spinal region, level fused, approach, and fusion work performed; use the applicable add-on code when additional levels are fused. Graft material and spinal instrumentation may be reported separately when the work and applicable coding requirements support them. This major surgery has 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. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons are permitted; team surgery is not.
CMS billing rules for 22610
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU16.85 · 45%
- Practice expense (office) RVU14.96 · 40%
- Malpractice RVU5.78 · 15%
13K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1339 by national volume
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.
22610 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Vermont, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Use 22612 for a single-level posterior or posterolateral lumbar fusion. Code 22610 is for the thoracic region.
No office rate
22614 reports each qualifying additional spinal level and is an add-on, not the primary code for a single-level fusion.
No office rate
22630 describes lumbar interbody fusion, rather than the single-level posterior or posterolateral thoracic fusion reported with 22610.
Compare 22610 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Vermont →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1155.17
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 22610 in Vermont.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,093
- Code
- 22610
- Physician work
- 16.85
- Practice expense
- 14.96
- Malpractice
- 5.78
GPCI2026.csv
105
- Locality
- Vermont
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.990
- Malpractice
- 0.506
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 16.85 | × 1.000 | 16.8500 |
| Practice expense | 14.96 | × 0.990 | 14.8104 |
| Malpractice | 5.78 | × 0.506 | 2.9247 |
| Total RVUs | 34.5851 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Vermont$1155.17
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 16.85 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 14.96 | 0.99 |
| Malpractice | 5.78 | 0.506 |
(16.85 × 1 + 14.96 × 0.99 + 5.78 × 0.506) × $33.4009 = $1155.17
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
22610 billing questions
How does this differ from 22600 or 22612?
The spinal region determines the primary code: 22610 is for a single thoracic level, 22600 for cervical, and 22612 for lumbar.
When is 22614 reported with this code?
Use 22614 for each qualifying additional spinal level fused beyond the primary level. The operative report should identify the additional level or levels.
Can instrumentation or bone graft be reported separately?
Separate reporting may be appropriate when instrumentation or graft work is performed and the requirements of the applicable code are met. The operative report should describe the work and materials used.
Does modifier 50 apply when both sides are fused?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 is not used to report the posterior fusion.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
May an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made, and co-surgeons are permitted. Team surgery is not permitted for this code.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
2,09022590,,Arthrd pst tq craniocervical,A,,21.22,17.41,NA,17.41,,8.05,46.68,46.68,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,09122595,,Arthrd pst tq atlas-axis,A,,20.12,17.09,NA,17.09,,7.67,44.88,44.88,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,09222600,,Arthrd pst tq 1ntrspc crv,A,,16.97,15.37,NA,15.37,,6.07,38.41,38.41,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,09322610,,Arthrd pst tq 1ntrspc thrc,A,,16.85,14.96,NA,14.96,,5.78,37.59,37.59,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,09422612,,Arthrd pst tq 1ntrspc lumbar,A,,22.94,14.38,NA,14.38,,6.62,43.94,43.94,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,09522614,,Arthrd pst tq 1ntrspc ea add,A,,6.27,2.11,NA,2.11,,2.08,10.46,10.46,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,09622630,,Arthrd pst tq 1ntrspc lum,A,,21.54,15.81,NA,15.81,,7.88,45.23,45.23,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
10204412,TX,18,HOUSTON,1.008,0.993,1.376
10304412,TX,99,REST OF TEXAS,1.000,0.949,0.903
10403502,UT,09,UTAH,1.000,0.940,0.898
10514512,VT,50,VERMONT,1.000,0.990,0.506
10611302,VA,00,VIRGINIA,1.000,0.983,0.706
10709202,VI,50,VIRGIN ISLANDS,1.000,1.011,0.985
10802402,WA,02,SEATTLE (KING CNTY),1.050,1.227,0.817