Add-on for each additional thoracic segment decompressed through a costovertebral approach, reported with the primary single-segment costovertebral decompression code.
- Medicare
- $187.71
- Work RVU
- 3.18
- Global, days
- 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 ↓
- Each additional thoracic segment named in the op note
- Same costovertebral approach used at each added segment
- Pathology and decompression at each added segment
- Primary 63064 documented in the same operative session
- Co-surgeon roles if modifier 62 is used
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 ↓
63066 is an add-on for each additional thoracic segment decompressed through the same costovertebral approach described by 63064. It has no global period of its own (ZZZ) and is never billed without 63064 on the same claim by the same surgeon.
Count segments from the op note. If 63064 covers T7-T8 and the surgeon also decompresses T8-T9 through the same approach, report 63064 plus one unit of 63066. Each additional segment is another unit. A different approach at the second level, such as transpedicular, does not belong here.
Add-on codes are exempt from the multiple procedure reduction, so do not append modifier 51. If co-surgeons share the case, both report 63066 with modifier 62 as they did on the primary code. Payers commonly deny 63066 when the primary is missing, was denied, or was billed by a different provider. A denial on 63064 takes this code down with it, so fix the primary first on appeal.
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 (3.18) is the surgeon's own effort — the figure physician pay and productivity targets are built on. The total RVU (5.62) adds practice overhead and malpractice, and is what drives the Medicare payment below.
| Work RVU | 3.18 |
| Practice expense RVU | 1.11 |
| Malpractice RVU | 1.33 |
| Total RVU | 5.62 |
| Medicare national rate | $187.71 |
| Global period | 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 | $187.71 |
Common denial reasons
The recurring reasons claims for CPT 63066 get rejected.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓
- Billed without 63064 on the same claim
- Primary code denied, taking the add-on with it
- Modifier 51 appended to an add-on code
- Units exceed the segments described in the op note
- Different approach at the added level
- Co-surgeon modifier on the primary but not the add-on
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 3 cited references ↓
01What primary code does 63066 go with?
02Does 63066 have a global period?
03Should modifier 51 be used on 63066?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources.
Mira Scribe
Mira Scribe's notes list each level treated and the imaging behind it, so the count of add-on units lines up with what was planned and documented.
See how Mira captures CPT 63066 documentation