Becker's Spine Review

7 SPINE SURGEONS CMS returns 14 spine codes to inpatient- only list in 2022 By Alan Condon C MS has walked back its proposed elimination of the inpa- tient-only list and returned most of the services it removed from the list in 2021. e move has ruffled the feathers of many ASCs that need to rethink operations aer CMS finalized the Outpatient Prospective Payment System and ASC Payment System final rule. CMS said the "change in policy promotes transparency and ensures that any service removed from the IPO list has been reviewed against Medicare's long-standing IPO criteria to determine if it is appropriate for Medicare to pay for the provision of the service in the outpatient setting." Despite this change in policy, seven musculoskeletal codes, including the code for lumbar spine fusion, 22630, did not return to the inpa- tient-only list this year. Here are the 14 spine procedures CMS returned to the inpatient-only list for 2022: 63011 Laminectomy with exploration and/or decompression of spinal cord and/or cauda equina, without facetectomy, foraminotomy or discectomy (e.g., spinal stenosis), one or two vertebral segments; sacral 63012 Laminectomy with removal of abnormal facets and/or pars in- terarticularis with decompression of cauda equina and nerve roots for spondylolisthesis, lumbar (gill type procedure) 63015 Laminectomy with exploration and/or decompression of spinal cord and/or cauda equina, without facetectomy, foraminotomy or discectomy (e.g., spinal stenosis), more than 2 vertebral segments; cervical 63016 Laminectomy with exploration and/or decompression of spinal cord and/or cauda equina, without facetectomy, foraminotomy or discectomy (e.g., spinal stenosis), more than two vertebral segments; thoracic 63017 Laminectomy with exploration and/or decompression of spinal cord and/or cauda equina, without facetectomy, foraminotomy or discectomy (eg, spinal stenosis), more than two vertebral segments; lumbar 63035 Laminotomy (hemilaminectomy), with decompression of nerve root(s), including partial facetectomy, foraminotomy and/or excision of herniated intervertebral disc; each addi- tional interspace, cervical or lumbar (list separately in addi- tion to code for primary procedure) 63040 Laminotomy (hemilaminectomy), with decompression of nerve root(s), including partial facetectomy, foraminotomy and/or excision of herniated intervertebral disc, reexplora- tion, single interspace; cervical 63043 Laminotomy (hemilaminectomy), with decompression of nerve root(s), including partial facetectomy, foraminotomy and/or excision of herniated intervertebral disc, reexplora- tion, single interspace; each additional cervical interspace (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure) 63048 Laminectomy, facetectomy and foraminotomy (unilateral or bilateral with decompression of spinal cord, cauda equi- na and/or nerve root[s], [e.g., spinal or lateral recess ste- nosis]), single vertebral segment; each additional segment, cervical, thoracic, or lumbar (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure) 63057 Transpedicular approach with decompression of spinal cord, equina and/or nerve root(s) (e.g., herniated inter- vertebral disc), single segment; each additional segment, thoracic or lumbar (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure) 63064 Costovertebral approach with decompression of spinal cord or nerve root(s) (e.g., herniated intervertebral disc), thorac- ic; single segment 63066 Costovertebral approach with decompression of spinal cord or nerve root(s) (e.g., herniated intervertebral disc), thorac- ic; each additional segment (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure) 63075 Discectomy, anterior, with decompression of spinal cord and/or nerve root(s), including osteophytectomy; cervical, single interspace 63076 Discectomy, anterior, with decompression of spinal cord and/or nerve root(s), including osteophytectomy; cervical, each additional interspace (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure) n Colorado surgeon performs disc replacement on NHL player By Alan Condon N eurosurgeon Chad Prusmack, MD, performed an artificial disc replacement on the NHL's Ve- gas Golden Knights player Jack Eichel, Sports- net reported Nov. 13. Three notes: 1. The surgery, which lasted almost 75 minutes, took place at Rocky Mountain Spine Clinic in Denver on Nov. 12. Mr. Eichel began rehab Nov. 13. 2. This is the first artificial disc replacement to be per- formed on an active NHL player, according to the report. 3. Dr. Prusmack is a minimally invasive spine surgery specialist who has practiced with Rocky Mountain Spine Clinic since January 2007. n

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