Billing code 63706: Spinal defect repairMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Reports operative repair of a myelomeningocele in a patient outside the newborn category, including closure of the congenital spinal defect.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 63706 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 63706 covers
billing code 63706 covers surgical repair of a myelomeningocele, a congenital spinal defect involving neural tissue and its coverings. A neurosurgeon typically performs the operation in a hospital operating room, addressing the defect and closing the involved tissues. The patient must fall outside the newborn category for this code; the newborn repair is represented by a separate code in the family.
The operative report should identify the myelomeningocele, document the repair performed, and support the patient category used to select the code. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery 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% multiple-procedure reduction. An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team-surgery payment 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 63706 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | Unavailable | $1,802.03 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | Unavailable | $1,967.82 |
How the 63706 rate is calculated
Each of 63706’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 · 63706
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 24.72Practice expense 19.91Malpractice 10.44
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 63706
63706 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 63706
Spinal defect repair
| 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) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| 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 · 63706
Spinal defect repair
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
63706 without 51 · national facility
$1,839.39
Spinal defect repair
63706-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$919.70
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%).
63706 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
63706 vs 63704 vs 63702 vs 63707: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 63704Spinal defect repair
- Both codes concern myelomeningocele repair. The patient category distinguishes 63704, which is for newborns, from 63706.
- 63702Spinal repair
- 63702 describes repair of a meningocele in a patient outside the newborn category; 63706 is for myelomeningocele repair.
- 63707Spinal leak repair
- 63707 addresses repair of a spinal fluid leak rather than operative repair of a myelomeningocele.
63706 billing questions
How is 63706 distinguished from 63704?
Both describe repair of a myelomeningocele. Use 63706 for a patient outside the newborn category; 63704 is the newborn-family code.
How is this different from the meningocele repair codes?
63706 is for a myelomeningocele. Codes 63700 and 63702 are for meningocele repair, with the patient category distinguishing those codes.
Is postoperative care included?
Yes. CMS assigns a 90-day global period that includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team-surgery payment is not permitted.
Should modifier 50 be used for a defect involving both sides?
Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this descriptor and anatomy; report the repair under the applicable code without a bilateral adjustment.
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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