Billing code 63040: Cervical laminotomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Posterior cervical laminotomy decompresses the spinal cord and/or nerve roots at one vertebral segment, commonly for stenosis, and is reported by the operating spine surgeon.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 63040 in Washington.
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 63040 covers
A spine surgeon performs a limited posterior opening through the cervical lamina to relieve compression of the spinal cord, cauda equina, and/or nerve roots at one vertebral segment. A typical clinical setting is operative treatment of cervical spinal stenosis. The work is defined by the decompression at that segment, rather than by the number of individual nerve roots addressed.
Report one unit for the single cervical segment treated, with the operative report identifying the level and the compressive condition addressed. Distinguish this service from a nerve-root-focused laminotomy reported by interspace and from a more extensive laminectomy with facetectomy and foraminotomy. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made, and co-surgeons are permitted; team surgery is not permitted.
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 63040 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | Unavailable | $1,269.76 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | Unavailable | $1,379.02 |
How the 63040 rate is calculated
Each of 63040’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 · 63040
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 19.80Practice expense 12.61Malpractice 6.15
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 63040
63040 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 63040
Cervical laminotomy
| 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) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| 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. |
| 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 · 63040
Cervical laminotomy
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 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
63040 without 50 · national facility
$1,287.94
Cervical laminotomy
63040-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$1,931.91
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
63040 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
63040 vs 63020 vs 63043 vs 63045 vs 63042: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 63020Cervical laminotomy
- Choose 63040 for decompression of the spinal cord, cauda equina, and/or nerve roots at a cervical vertebral segment, such as for stenosis. Choose 63020 for nerve-root decompression defined by cervical interspace.
- 63043Laminotomy addl cervical
- 63043 is an add-on for each additional cervical segment; it is not the code for the first segment. Report 63040 for the initial segment.
- 63045Cervical decompression
- 63045 describes cervical laminectomy with facetectomy and foraminotomy. Use 63040 when the documented procedure is a laminotomy decompression at a single cervical segment.
- 63042Lumbar decompression
- 63042 is the lumbar single-segment counterpart. The cervical location distinguishes 63040.
63040 billing questions
How is this different from 63020?
63040 describes decompression at a cervical vertebral segment for the spinal cord, cauda equina, and/or nerve roots, such as for stenosis. 63020 is the nerve-root decompression code reported by cervical interspace.
Can an additional cervical segment be reported?
When the surgeon decompresses another cervical segment in the same operative session, 63043 is the add-on code associated with 63040. The operative report should identify each treated segment.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. Those included services are not separately reported as routine follow-up care.
How is bilateral work reported?
CMS lists this as a bilateral procedure: modifier 50 is paid at 150%. The documentation should support decompression on both sides.
May an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS indicates that 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 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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