DRAFT LCD Reference Article Billing and Coding Article

Billing and Coding: Cervical Fusion

DA59632

Expand All | Collapse All

Contractor Information

Contractor Name	Contract Type	Contract Number	Jurisdiction	States
National Government Services, Inc.	MAC - Part A	06101 - MAC A	J - 06	Illinois
National Government Services, Inc.	MAC - Part B	06102 - MAC B	J - 06	Illinois
National Government Services, Inc.	MAC - Part A	06201 - MAC A	J - 06	Minnesota
National Government Services, Inc.	MAC - Part B	06202 - MAC B	J - 06	Minnesota
National Government Services, Inc.	MAC - Part A	06301 - MAC A	J - 06	Wisconsin
National Government Services, Inc.	MAC - Part B	06302 - MAC B	J - 06	Wisconsin
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	13101 - MAC A	J - K	Connecticut
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	13102 - MAC B	J - K	Connecticut
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	13201 - MAC A	J - K	New York - Entire State
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	13202 - MAC B	J - K	New York - Downstate
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	13282 - MAC B	J - K	New York - Upstate
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	13292 - MAC B	J - K	New York - Queens
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	14111 - MAC A	J - K	Maine
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	14112 - MAC B	J - K	Maine
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	14211 - MAC A	J - K	Massachusetts
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	14212 - MAC B	J - K	Massachusetts
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	14311 - MAC A	J - K	New Hampshire
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	14312 - MAC B	J - K	New Hampshire
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	14411 - MAC A	J - K	Rhode Island
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	14412 - MAC B	J - K	Rhode Island
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	14511 - MAC A	J - K	Vermont
National Government Services, Inc.	A and B and HHH MAC	14512 - MAC B	J - K	Vermont

Draft Article Information

General Information

Source Article ID
A59632

Draft Article ID
DA59632

Draft Article Title
Billing and Coding: Cervical Fusion

Article Type
Billing and Coding

Fee schedules, relative value units, conversion factors and/or related components are not assigned by the AMA, are not part of CPT, and the AMA is not recommending their use. The AMA does not directly or indirectly practice medicine or dispense medical services. The AMA assumes no liability for data contained or not contained herein.

Copyright © 2024, the American Hospital Association, Chicago, Illinois. Reproduced with permission. No portion of the AHA copyrighted materials contained within this publication may be copied without the express written consent of the AHA. AHA copyrighted materials including the UB‐04 codes and descriptions may not be removed, copied, or utilized within any software, product, service, solution, or derivative work without the written consent of the AHA. If an entity wishes to utilize any AHA materials, please contact the AHA at 312‐893‐6816.

Making copies or utilizing the content of the UB‐04 Manual, including the codes and/or descriptions, for internal purposes, resale and/or to be used in any product or publication; creating any modified or derivative work of the UB‐04 Manual and/or codes and descriptions; and/or making any commercial use of UB‐04 Manual or any portion thereof, including the codes and/or descriptions, is only authorized with an express license from the American Hospital Association. The American Hospital Association (the "AHA") has not reviewed, and is not responsible for, the completeness or accuracy of any information contained in this material, nor was the AHA or any of its affiliates, involved in the preparation of this material, or the analysis of information provided in the material. The views and/or positions presented in the material do not necessarily represent the views of the AHA. CMS and its products and services are not endorsed by the AHA or any of its affiliates.

CMS National Coverage Policy

N/A

Article Guidance

Article Text

Refer to the draft Local Coverage Determination (LCD) Cervical Fusion for reasonable and necessary requirements and frequency limitations.

The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes included in this article may be subject to National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits or OPPS packaging edits. Please refer to the NCCI requirements.

Coding Guidance

Providers should refer to the applicable AMA CPT Manual to assist with proper reporting of these services.

Notice: It is not appropriate to bill Medicare for services that are not covered (as described by the entire LCD) as if they are covered. When billing for non-covered services, use the appropriate modifier.

This policy applies only to cervical fusion and related procedures and does not apply to other joint procedures (such as facet, sacroiliitis, epidural or other spinal procedures).

General Guidelines for Claims submitted to Part A or Part B MAC:

Procedure codes may be subject to National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits or OPPS packaging edits. Refer to NCCI and OPPS requirements prior to billing Medicare. For services requiring a referring/ordering physician, the name and NPI of the referring/ordering physician must be reported on the claim. A claim submitted without a valid ICD-10-CM diagnosis code will be returned to the provider as an incomplete claim under Section 1833(e) of the Social Security Act. The diagnosis code(s) must best describe the patient's condition for which the service was performed. For diagnostic tests, report the result of the test if known; otherwise the symptoms prompting the performance of the test should be reported.

If you want to list out the modifiers for known non-covered service you could bullet that out under the notice section.

Modifier

When to Use Modifier

Waiver of Liability Statement

Issued as Required by Payer

Policy, Individual Case

Report when you issue a mandatory ABN for a service as required and keep it on file. You don’t need to submit a copy of the ABN, but you must make it available on request. Use

the –GA modifier when both covered and non-covered services appear on an ABN-related claim.

–GX

Notice of Liability Issued,

Voluntary Under Payer Policy

Report when you issue a voluntary ABN for a service we never cover because it’s statutorily excluded or isn’t a Medicare

benefit. Use this modifier combined with modifier –GY.

–GY

Notice of Liability Not Issued,

Not Required Under Payer

Policy

Report Medicare statutorily excludes the item or service, or the item or service doesn’t meet the definition of a Medicare

benefit. Use this modifier combined with modifier –GX

–GZ

Expect Item or Service

Denied as Not Reasonable

and Necessary

Report when you expect we’ll deny payment of the item or service because it’s medically unnecessary and you didn’t

issue an ABN.

Documentation Requirements

All documentation must be maintained in the patient's medical record and made available to the contractor upon request.
Every page of the record must be legible and include appropriate patient identification information (e.g., complete name, dates of service[s]). The documentation must include the legible signature of the physician or non-physician practitioner responsible for and providing the care to the patient.
The submitted medical record must support the use of the selected ICD-10-CM code(s). The submitted CPT/HCPCS code must describe the service performed.

The operative note should include the procedure performed and any associated/additional procedures performed at the same time.

The patient’s medical record should include, but is not limited to:
- The assessment of the patient by the performing provider as it relates to the complaint of the patient for that visit
- Relevant medical history
- Results of pertinent tests/procedures
- Signed and dated office visit record/operative report (Please note that all services ordered or rendered to Medicare beneficiaries must be signed.)
- Documentation to support the medical necessity of the procedure(s).

Use of Biologicals

There are currently no FDA approved biologicals to be injected into the joint at the time of surgery. The inclusion of biological and/or other non-FDA approved substances in the injectant will result in denial of the entire claim based on Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 16, Section 180 Medicare Benefit Policy Manual (cms.gov). Amniotic and placenta derived injectants, amino acids, vitamins, and platelet rich plasma fall in this category.

Response To Comments

Number	Comment	Response
1

Coding Information

Bill Type Codes

Code	Description
Please accept the License to see the codes.

Revenue Codes

Code	Description
Please accept the License to see the codes.

CPT/HCPCS Codes

Expand All | Collapse All

Please accept the License to see the codes.

CPT/HCPCS Modifiers

N/A

ICD-10-CM Codes that Support Medical Necessity

Expand All | Collapse All

Group 1

(21 Codes)

Group 1 Paragraph

N/A

Group 1 Codes

Code	Description
M46.31	Infection of intervertebral disc (pyogenic), occipito-atlanto-axial region
M46.32	Infection of intervertebral disc (pyogenic), cervical region
M46.33	Infection of intervertebral disc (pyogenic), cervicothoracic region
M48.01	Spinal stenosis, occipito-atlanto-axial region
M48.02	Spinal stenosis, cervical region
M48.03	Spinal stenosis, cervicothoracic region
M50.01	Cervical disc disorder with myelopathy, high cervical region
M50.021	Cervical disc disorder at C4-C5 level with myelopathy
M50.022	Cervical disc disorder at C5-C6 level with myelopathy
M50.023	Cervical disc disorder at C6-C7 level with myelopathy
M50.03	Cervical disc disorder with myelopathy, cervicothoracic region
M50.11	Cervical disc disorder with radiculopathy, high cervical region
M50.121	Cervical disc disorder at C4-C5 level with radiculopathy
M50.122	Cervical disc disorder at C5-C6 level with radiculopathy
M50.123	Cervical disc disorder at C6-C7 level with radiculopathy
M50.13	Cervical disc disorder with radiculopathy, cervicothoracic region
M53.2X1	Spinal instabilities, occipito-atlanto-axial region
M53.2X2	Spinal instabilities, cervical region
M54.11	Radiculopathy, occipito-atlanto-axial region
M54.12	Radiculopathy, cervical region
M54.13	Radiculopathy, cervicothoracic region

ICD-10-CM Codes that DO NOT Support Medical Necessity

N/A

ICD-10-PCS Codes

N/A

Additional ICD-10 Information

N/A

Bill Type Codes

Contractors may specify Bill Types to help providers identify those Bill Types typically used to report this service. Absence of a Bill Type does not guarantee that the article does not apply to that Bill Type. Complete absence of all Bill Types indicates that coverage is not influenced by Bill Type and the article should be assumed to apply equally to all claims.

Code	Description
Please accept the License to see the codes.

Revenue Codes

Contractors may specify Revenue Codes to help providers identify those Revenue Codes typically used to report this service. In most instances Revenue Codes are purely advisory. Unless specified in the article, services reported under other Revenue Codes are equally subject to this coverage determination. Complete absence of all Revenue Codes indicates that coverage is not influenced by Revenue Code and the article should be assumed to apply equally to all Revenue Codes.

Code	Description
Please accept the License to see the codes.

Other Coding Information

N/A

Coding Table Information

Excluded CPT/HCPCS Codes - Table Format

Code	Descriptor Generic Name	Descriptor Brand Name	Exclusion Effective Date	Exclusion End Date	Reason for Exclusion
			N/A	N/A

Non-Excluded CPT/HCPCS Ended Codes - Table Format

Code	Descriptor Generic Name	Descriptor Brand Name	Exclusion Effective Date	Exclusion End Date	Reason for Exclusion

Revision History Information

N/A

Associated Documents

Related Local Coverage Documents
LCDs
DL39770 - Cervical Fusion

Updated On	Archived Date	Status
01/29/2024	N/A	N/A	You are here

Keywords

N/A

Read the Article Disclaimer

License Agreements
American Medical Association Current Procedural Terminology
American Dental Association Current Dental Terminology
American Hospital Association NUBC UB-04

Please review the licensing information below and indicate your agreement and acceptance.

License for Use of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT)

End User Point and Click Agreement: CPT codes, descriptions and other data only are copyright 2023 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved (or such other date of publication of CPT). CPT is a trademark of the American Medical Association (AMA).

You, your employees, and agents are authorized to use CPT only as agreed upon with the AMA internally within your organization within the United States for the sole use by yourself, employees, and agents. Use is limited to use in Medicare, Medicaid or other programs administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). You agree to take all necessary steps to insure that your employees and agents abide by the terms of this agreement.

Any use not authorized herein is prohibited, including by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, making copies of CPT for resale and/or license, transferring copies of CPT to any party not bound by this agreement, creating any modified or derivative work of CPT, or making any commercial use of CPT. License to use CPT for any use not authorized herein must be obtained through the AMA, CPT Intellectual Property Services, AMA Plaza, 330 Wabash Ave., Suite 39300, Chicago, IL 60611-5885. Applications are available at the AMA Web site, http://www.ama-assn.org/go/cpt http://www.ama-assn.org/go/cpt.

Applicable FARS\DFARS Restrictions Apply to Government Use.

This product includes CPT which is commercial technical data and/or computer data bases and/or commercial computer software and/or commercial computer software documentation, as applicable which were developed exclusively at private expense by the American Medical Association, AMA Plaza, 330 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 39300, Chicago, IL 60611-5885. U.S. Government rights to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose these technical data and/or computer data bases and/or computer software and/or computer software documentation are subject to the limited rights restrictions of FAR 52.227-14 (December 2007) and/or subject to the restricted rights provisions of FAR 52.227-14 (December 2007) and FAR 52.227-19 (December 2007), as applicable, and any applicable agency FAR Supplements, for non-Department of Defense Federal procurements.

The scope of this license is determined by the AMA, the copyright holder. Any questions pertaining to the license or use of the CPT should be addressed to the AMA. End Users do not act for or on behalf of the CMS. CMS disclaims responsibility for any liability attributable to end user use of the CPT. CMS will not be liable for any claims attributable to any errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies in the information or material contained on this page. In no event shall CMS be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use of such information or material.

License For Use of Current Dental Terminology (CDT^TM)

The license granted herein is expressly conditioned upon your acceptance of all terms and conditions contained in this agreement. By clicking below on the button labeled "I accept", you hereby acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to all terms and conditions set forth in this agreement.

If you do not agree with all terms and conditions set forth herein, click below on the button labeled "I do not accept" and exit from this computer screen.

If you are acting on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to act on behalf of such organization and that your acceptance of the terms of this agreement creates a legally enforceable obligation of the organization. As used herein, "you" and "your" refer to you and any organization on behalf of which you are acting.

Subject to the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement, you, your employees and agents are authorized to use CDT only as contained in the following authorized materials and solely for internal use by yourself, employees and agents within your organization within the United States and its territories. Use of CDT is limited to use in programs administered by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). You agree to take all necessary steps to ensure that your employees and agents abide by the terms of this agreement. You acknowledge that the ADA holds all copyright, trademark and other rights in CDT. You shall not remove, alter, or obscure any ADA copyright notices or other proprietary rights notices included in the materials.

Any use not authorized herein is prohibited, including by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, making copies of CDT for resale and/or license, transferring copies of CDT to any party not bound by this agreement, creating any modified or derivative work of CDT, or making any commercial use of CDT. License to use CDT for any use not authorized herein must be obtained through the American Dental Association, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. Applications are available at the American Dental Association web site, http://www.ADA.org/ http://www.ADA.org/.

Applicable Federal Acquisition Regulation Clauses (FARS)/Department of Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation supplement (DFARS) Restrictions Apply to Government Use.

Organizations who contract with CMS acknowledge that they may have a commercial CDT license with the ADA, and that use of CDT codes as permitted herein for the administration of CMS programs does not extend to any other programs or services the organization may administer and royalties dues for the use of the CDT codes are governed by their commercial license.

ADA DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIABILITIES

CDT is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. No fee schedules, basic unit, relative values, or related listings are included in CDT. The ADA does not directly or indirectly practice medicine or dispense dental services. The sole responsibility for software, including any CDT and other content contained therein, is with (insert name of applicable entity) or the CMS; and no endorsement by the ADA is intended or implied. The ADA expressly disclaims responsibility for any consequences or liability attributable to or related to any use, non-use, or interpretation of information contained or not contained in this file/product. This Agreement will terminate upon notice to you if you violate the terms of this Agreement. The ADA is a third-party beneficiary to this Agreement.

CMS DISCLAIMER

The scope of this license is determined by the ADA, the copyright holder. Any questions pertaining to the license or use of the CDT should be addressed to the ADA. End Users do not act for or on behalf of the CMS. CMS disclaims responsibility for any liability attributable to end user use of the CDT. CMS will not be liable for any claims attributable to any errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies in the information or material covered by this license. In no event shall CMS be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use of such information or material.

The license granted herein is expressly conditioned upon your acceptance of all terms and conditions contained in this agreement. If the foregoing terms and conditions are acceptable to you, please indicate your agreement by clicking below on the button labeled "I Accept". If you do not agree to the terms and conditions, you may not access or use software. Instead, you must click below on the button labeled "I Do Not Accept" and exit from this computer screen.

License For Use of National Uniform Billing Committee (NUBC) UB-04

These materials contain NUBC Official UB-04 Specifications (UB-04 Data), which is copyrighted by the American Hospital Association (AHA).

THE LICENSE GRANTED HEREIN IS EXPRESSLY CONDITIONED UPON YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS CONTAINED IN THIS AGREEMENT. BY CLICKING BELOW ON THE BUTTON LABELED "I ACCEPT", YOU HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD AND AGREED TO ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT.

IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH HEREIN, CLICK BELOW ON THE BUTTON LABELED "I DO NOT ACCEPT" AND EXIT FROM THIS COMPUTER SCREEN. IF YOU ARE ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN ORGANIZATION, YOU REPRESENT THAT YOU ARE AUTHORIZED TO ACT ON BEHALF OF SUCH ORGANIZATION AND THAT YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT CREATES A LEGALLY ENFORCEABLE OBLIGATION OF THE ORGANIZATION. AS USED HEREIN, "YOU" AND "YOUR" REFER TO YOU AND ANY ORGANIZATION ON BEHALF OF WHICH YOU ARE ACTING.

Subject to the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement, you, your employees, and agents are authorized to use UB-04 Data only as contained in the following authorized materials and solely for internal use by yourself, employees and agents within your organization within the United States and its territories. Use of UB-04 Data is limited to use in programs administered by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). You agree to take all necessary steps to ensure that your employees and agents abide by the terms of this Agreement. You acknowledge that the AHA holds all copyright, trademark, and other rights in UB-04 Data. You shall not remove, alter, or obscure any AHA copyright notices or other proprietary rights notices included in the materials.
Any use not authorized herein is prohibited, including, by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, making copies of UB-04 Data for resale and/or license, transferring copies of UB-04 Data to any party not bound by this agreement, creating any modified or derivative work of UB-04 Data, or making any commercial use of UB-04 Data. License to use UB-04 Data for any use not authorized herein must be obtained through the American Hospital Association, 155 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 400, Chicago, Illinois, 60606. Applications are available at the NUBC website, http://www.nubc.org/ http://www.nubc.org/.
The UB-04 Data included in this product is commercial technical data and/or computer databases and/or commercial computer software and/or commercial computer software documentation, as applicable, which was developed exclusively at private expense by the American Hospital Association, 155 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 400, Chicago, Illinois 60606. U.S. Government rights to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose these technical data and/or computer data bases and/or computer software and/or computer software documentation are subject to the limited rights restrictions of DFARS 252.227-7015(b)(2) (November 1995) and/or subject to the restrictions of DFARS 227.7202-1(a) (June 1995) and DFARS 227.7202-3(a) (June 1995), as applicable for U.S. Department of Defense procurements and the limited rights restrictions of FAR 52.227-14 (December 2007) and FAR 52.227-19 (December 2007), as applicable, and any applicable agency FAR Supplements, for non-Department of Defense Federal procurements.
AHA DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIABILITIES. UB-04 Data is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The sole responsibility for the software, including any UB-04 Data and other content contained therein, is with the Medicare/Medicaid Contractor or the CMS; and no endorsement by the AHA is intended or implied. The AHA expressly disclaims responsibility for any consequences or liability attributable to or related to any use, non-use, or interpretation of information contained or not contained in this file/product. This Agreement will terminate upon notice to you if you violate the terms of this Agreement. The AHA is a third-party beneficiary to this Agreement.
CMS DISCLAIMER. The scope of this license is determined by the AHA, the copyright holder. Any questions pertaining to the license or use of the UB-04 Data should be addressed to the AHA. End users do not act for or on behalf of the CMS. CMS DISCLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LIABILITY ATTRIBUTABLE TO END USER USE OF THE UB-04 DATA. CMS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIMS ATTRIBUTABLE TO ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR OTHER INACCURACIES IN THE INFORMATION OR MATERIAL COVERED BY THIS LICENSE. In no event shall CMS be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use of such information or material.

Submit Feedback/Ask a Question

Billing and Coding: Cervical Fusion

Document Note

Note History

Contractor Information

Draft Article Information

General Information

CMS National Coverage Policy

Article Guidance

Coding Guidance

Documentation Requirements

Use of Biologicals

Response To Comments

Coding Information

Bill Type Codes

Please accept the License to see the codes.

Revenue Codes

Please accept the License to see the codes.

CPT/HCPCS Codes

Please accept the License to see the codes.

CPT/HCPCS Modifiers

Group 1

ICD-10-CM Codes that Support Medical Necessity

Group 1

ICD-10-CM Codes that DO NOT Support Medical Necessity

Group 1

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Group 1

Additional ICD-10 Information

Bill Type Codes

Please accept the License to see the codes.

Revenue Codes

Please accept the License to see the codes.

Other Coding Information

Group 1

Coding Table Information

Revision History Information

Associated Documents

Keywords

Page Help for Draft Article - Billing and Coding: Cervical Fusion (DA59632)

Introduction

Finding a specific code

More information

Printing a Document to PDF

Get email updates

CMS & HHS WEBSITES

HELPFUL LINKS

RSS FEEDS