No office rate
63020 represents laminotomy-based cervical nerve-root decompression. Choose 63045 when the documented operation involves the more extensive laminectomy, facet, and foraminal decompression at a segment.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
63045 Cervical decompression Medicare reimbursement rates in Virginia
Cervical decompression removes posterior bone at one vertebral segment to relieve spinal cord or nerve-root compression from stenosis. Compare 63045 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Virginia.
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 63045 in Virginia?
Virginia has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$1179.66–$1385.72
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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.
Spinal surgery
About 63045: Single-segment cervical spinal decompression
Cervical decompression removes posterior bone at one vertebral segment to relieve spinal cord or nerve-root compression from stenosis.
A spine surgeon uses a posterior approach to remove lamina and portions of the facet and foraminal bone at one cervical vertebral segment, creating space for compressed neural structures. The procedure is commonly performed for cervical canal or foraminal stenosis associated with spinal cord dysfunction or nerve-root symptoms. Neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons typically perform it in an operating room, most often in a facility setting.
Report this code for one treated cervical segment; document the level, the stenosis or compression, and the decompression performed. For each additional qualifying segment, report add-on code 63048. CMS prices this code as bilateral, so modifier 50 does not increase payment. The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in its 90-day global period. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Assistant-at-surgery and co-surgeon payment may be allowed; team-surgery payment is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 63045
- 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
- The code is already priced as bilateral; modifier 50 does not increase payment.
- 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 RVU17.50 · 47%
- Practice expense (office) RVU13.58 · 36%
- Malpractice RVU6.33 · 17%
16.8K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1215 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.
63045 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Virginia, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
63048 is an add-on for each additional qualifying segment; it is not the base code for the first cervical segment.
No office rate
63015 describes cervical laminectomy decompression across more than two segments. 63045 is for a single cervical segment.
No office rate
63047 describes the corresponding laminectomy-based decompression in the lumbar region. 63045 is for a cervical segment.
Compare 63045 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Dc + Md/Va Suburbs →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1385.72
Virginia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1179.66
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63045 billing questions
How is 63045 different from cervical code 63020?
63045 describes a laminectomy-based decompression involving facet and foraminal work at a cervical segment. Use 63020 for the more limited laminotomy-based nerve-root decompression when that procedure matches the operative work.
Can 63045 be reported for both sides of the same segment?
CMS prices 63045 as bilateral, and modifier 50 does not increase payment. Document the side or sides treated and the work performed.
How are additional cervical segments reported?
Report 63045 for the first treated segment and use add-on code 63048 for each additional qualifying segment. The operative report should identify the levels decompressed.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS allows payment for an assistant at surgery and permits co-surgeons for this code. CMS does not permit team-surgery payment.
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.
7,00163042,,Laminotomy single lumbar,A,,18.29,12.73,NA,12.73,,5.50,36.52,36.52,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,00263043,,Laminotomy addl cervical,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,00363044,,Laminotomy addl lumbar,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,00463045,,Lam facetec & foramot crv,A,,17.50,13.58,NA,13.58,,6.33,37.41,37.41,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,2,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,00563046,,Lam facetec & foramot thrc,A,,16.82,12.90,NA,12.90,,5.74,35.46,35.46,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,2,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,00663047,,Lam facetec & foramot lumbar,A,,14.99,12.03,NA,12.03,,4.88,31.90,31.90,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,2,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,00763048,,Lam facetec &foramot ea addl,A,,3.38,1.13,NA,1.13,,1.10,5.61,5.61,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00