Injection of contrast into a lumbar disc for discography, reported per level, to test whether that disc reproduces the patient's back pain.
- Medicare
- $370.08
- Work RVU
- 2.93
- Global, days
- 0
- Region
- Spine
Documentation requirements
What must appear in the operative or office note to support the claim.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in 3 cited references ↓
- Levels injected, including control levels
- Pain response and concordance for each level
- Pressure and volume injected
- Imaging findings and report for supervision and interpretation
- How results will change the surgical plan
Applicable modifiers
Modifiers commonly billed with this code.
Source · AMA CPT modifier descriptors · CMS NCCI Policy Manual
What this code covers
Source · Editorial summary grounded in 3 cited references ↓
Lumbar discography injection is billed with 62290, one unit per level. The radiology supervision and interpretation is reported with its own code. When the same physician does both, both codes go on the claim. Spine surgeons use discography to decide which levels, if any, belong in a fusion.
Coverage is the main fight. Many commercial payers consider provocative discography not medically necessary, and some MACs limit it. Get authorization before the procedure. The record should explain how the result will change the surgical plan, since that is what reviewers look for.
Control levels count. Injecting a normal disc to compare with the painful one is part of the test, and each level injected is a unit. Fluoroscopy is part of the supervision and interpretation code, so a separate fluoroscopy guidance code is not billed. Report pain response, pressure, volume, and the patient's own description for each level. Disc aspiration at the same level is not billed with it.
RVU & reimbursement
Component RVUs and Medicare national rate. Actual payment varies by GPCI locality.
Source · CMS Physician Fee Schedule, RVU26A · January 2026
Work RVU vs. total RVU
The work RVU (2.93) is the surgeon's own effort — the figure physician pay and productivity targets are built on. The total RVU (11.08) adds practice overhead and malpractice, and is what drives the Medicare payment below.
| Work RVU | 2.93 |
| Practice expense RVU | 7.89 |
| Malpractice RVU | 0.26 |
| Total RVU | 11.08 |
| Medicare national rate | $370.08 |
| Global period | 0 days |
Payment by site of service
Medicare pays different rates by setting. HOPD typically pays substantially more than ASC for the same procedure.
Source · CMS OPPS Addendum B·ASC HCPCS payment rates·2026
| Setting | Medicare rate (national) |
|---|---|
Office (PFS non-facility) Procedure performed in physician's office | $370.08 |
Common denial reasons
The recurring reasons claims for CPT 62290 get rejected.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓
- Payer policy finds discography not medically necessary
- Separate fluoroscopic guidance billed
- Units do not match the levels documented
- Supervision and interpretation missing or billed without a report
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 3 cited references ↓
01How many units of 62290 can I bill?
02What imaging code goes with 62290?
03Is fluoroscopy billed separately with lumbar discography?
04Do payers cover provocative discography?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources.
Mira Scribe
Mira Scribe records each level's pain response in the patient's own words next to the volume and pressure, which is the detail a discography report needs.
See how Mira captures CPT 62290 documentation