No office rate
63075 applies to a single cervical interspace; 63077 applies to a single thoracic interspace. The treated spinal region determines the code.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
63077 Thoracic disc surgery Medicare reimbursement rates in Vermont
Reports anterior removal of thoracic disc material and related osteophytes to decompress the spinal cord or nerve roots at one interspace. Compare 63077 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 63077 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
$1229.20
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 63077: Anterior thoracic disc decompression
Reports anterior removal of thoracic disc material and related osteophytes to decompress the spinal cord or nerve roots at one interspace.
This code describes anterior surgery at one thoracic interspace to remove disc material and, as needed, osteophytes that compress the spinal cord or nerve roots. It is commonly performed by a neurosurgeon or orthopedic spine surgeon in a hospital operating room for a symptomatic thoracic disc herniation with neural compression. The code represents decompression through an anterior approach, rather than a posterior laminectomy-based procedure or removal of a vertebral body.
Select the code when the operative report supports anterior decompression at a single thoracic interspace; document the level, approach, disc removal, and neural structures decompressed. The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the 90-day global period. 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% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. CMS permits assistant-at-surgery and co-surgeon payment; team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 63077
- 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 RVU22.31 · 57%
- Practice expense (office) RVU12.21 · 31%
- Malpractice RVU4.75 · 12%
58
Medicare services in 2024 · #5269 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.
63077 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Vermont, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
63077 reports the primary thoracic interspace. 63078 is used for each additional thoracic interspace treated during the same operative session.
No office rate
63046 describes thoracic posterior laminectomy-based decompression. Use 63077 for anterior disc-space decompression at a thoracic interspace.
No office rate
63085 describes thoracic vertebral body removal for decompression. 63077 addresses anterior disc removal and related osteophyte work at an interspace.
Compare 63077 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
$1229.20
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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 63077 in Vermont.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
7,019
- Code
- 63077
- Physician work
- 22.31
- Practice expense
- 12.21
- Malpractice
- 4.75
GPCI2026.csv
105
- Locality
- Vermont
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.990
- Malpractice
- 0.506
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 22.31 | × 1.000 | 22.3100 |
| Practice expense | 12.21 | × 0.990 | 12.0879 |
| Malpractice | 4.75 | × 0.506 | 2.4035 |
| Total RVUs | 36.8014 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Vermont$1229.20
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 22.31 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 12.21 | 0.99 |
| Malpractice | 4.75 | 0.506 |
(22.31 × 1 + 12.21 × 0.99 + 4.75 × 0.506) × $33.4009 = $1229.20
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.
63077 billing questions
When should 63077 be selected instead of 63075?
63077 is for anterior decompression at a thoracic interspace. 63075 is the corresponding single-interspace service for the cervical region.
How is another thoracic interspace reported?
63078 is the add-on code for each additional thoracic interspace treated after the primary interspace reported with 63077. The operative documentation should identify the additional level.
Is disc and osteophyte removal separately reported?
Disc removal and osteophytectomy performed as part of the decompression at the treated interspace are integral to this service; they are not separate decompression services.
What global period applies?
63077 has a 90-day global period. The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS permits payment for an assistant at surgery and for co-surgeons. Team surgery is not permitted for this code.
Should modifier 50 be used for bilateral work?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; report the thoracic interspace service without modifier 50.
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.
7,01663066,,Decompress spine cord add-on,A,,3.18,1.11,NA,1.11,,1.33,5.62,5.62,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,01763075,,Neck spine disk surgery,A,,19.11,13.12,NA,13.12,,6.34,38.57,38.57,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,01863076,,Neck spine disk surgery,A,,3.94,1.30,NA,1.30,,1.26,6.50,6.50,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,01963077,,Spine disk surgery thorax,A,,22.31,12.21,NA,12.21,,4.75,39.27,39.27,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,02063078,,Spine disk surgery thorax,A,,3.20,1.12,NA,1.12,,1.33,5.65,5.65,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,02163081,,Remove vert body dcmprn crvl,A,,25.45,15.61,NA,15.61,,8.64,49.70,49.70,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,2,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,02263082,,Remove vertebral body add-on,A,,4.25,1.43,NA,1.43,,1.43,7.11,7.11,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,1,2,9,,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