CMS is walking back its proposed elimination of the inpatient-only list and returning most of the services it removed from the list in 2022.
The move has ruffled the feathers of many ASCs that will need to rethink operations after 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, will not return to the inpatient-only list in 2022.
Here are the 14 spine procedures CMS is returning to the inpatient-only list next year:
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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 |
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63012 |
Laminectomy with removal of abnormal facets and/or pars interarticularis with decompression of cauda equina and nerve roots for spondylolisthesis, lumbar (gill type procedure) |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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63035 |
Laminotomy (hemilaminectomy), with decompression of nerve root(s), including partial facetectomy, foraminotomy and/or excision of herniated intervertebral disc; each additional interspace, cervical or lumbar (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure) |
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63040 |
Laminotomy (hemilaminectomy), with decompression of nerve root(s), including partial facetectomy, foraminotomy and/or excision of herniated intervertebral disc, reexploration, single interspace; cervical |
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63043 |
Laminotomy (hemilaminectomy), with decompression of nerve root(s), including partial facetectomy, foraminotomy and/or excision of herniated intervertebral disc, reexploration, single interspace; each additional cervical interspace (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure) |
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63048 |
Laminectomy, facetectomy and foraminotomy (unilateral or bilateral with decompression of spinal cord, cauda equina and/or nerve root[s], [e.g., spinal or lateral recess stenosis]), single vertebral segment; each additional segment, cervical, thoracic, or lumbar (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure) |
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63057 |
Transpedicular approach with decompression of spinal cord, equina and/or nerve root(s) (e.g., herniated intervertebral disc), single segment; each additional segment, thoracic or lumbar (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure) |
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63064 |
Costovertebral approach with decompression of spinal cord or nerve root(s) (e.g., herniated intervertebral disc), thoracic; single segment |
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63066 |
Costovertebral approach with decompression of spinal cord or nerve root(s) (e.g., herniated intervertebral disc), thoracic; each additional segment (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure) |
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63075 |
Discectomy, anterior, with decompression of spinal cord and/or nerve root(s), including osteophytectomy; cervical, single interspace |
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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) |