Cost analysis for CPT 22551 — Fusion of upper spine bone with removal of disc and release of spinal cord or nerve, 1 disc
Average Medicare Payment
$1067.36
2023 data
Total Payments (2023)
$24.7M
Services (2023)
22.4K
Price Change (2014–2023)
+17.4%
| Year | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $908.99 | $26.7M | 29.5K | — |
| 2015 | $945.04 | $30.5M | 32.4K | +4.0% |
| 2016 | $951.48 | $33.4M | 35.1K | +0.7% |
| 2017 | $962.04 | $33.6M | 34.9K | +1.1% |
| 2018 | $948.25 | $32.6M | 34.3K | -1.4% |
| 2019 | $994.09 | $35.2M | 35.2K | +4.8% |
| 2020 | $1035.70 | $26.9M | 26.0K | +4.2% |
| 2021 | $1111.37 | $26.9M | 24.0K | +7.3% |
| 2022 | $1059.19 | $25.0M | 23.0K | -4.7% |
| 2023 | $1067.36 | $24.7M | 22.4K | +0.8% |
The most expensive state pays 2.7x more than the cheapest for this procedure. MS averages $1945.58 vs SD at $728.32.
| State | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS | $1945.58 | $941.7K | 484 | 21 |
| WA | $1867.67 | $760.1K | 407 | 25 |
| OR | $1657.11 | $563.4K | 340 | 18 |
| OH | $1368.79 | $844.5K | 617 | 38 |
| MD | $1318.89 | $964.1K | 731 | 40 |
| SC | $1212.55 | $799.1K | 659 | 37 |
| MI | $1207.93 | $436.1K | 361 | 23 |
| TN | $1203.83 | $911.3K | 757 | 49 |
| MA | $1202.74 | $380.1K | 316 | 18 |
| PA | $1197.12 | $357.9K | 299 | 18 |
| NC | $1188.60 | $1.1M | 915 | 46 |
| NY | $1168.64 | $551.6K | 472 | 30 |
| MT | $1126.38 | $118.3K | 105 | 8 |
| FL | $1120.86 | $2.7M | 2.4K | 124 |
| IL | $1117.31 | $615.6K | 551 | 32 |
| CA | $1110.78 | $1.3M | 1.1K | 62 |
| TX | $1079.09 | $2.8M | 2.6K | 137 |
| LA | $1070.39 | $812.4K | 759 | 38 |
| WI | $1061.19 | $107.2K | 101 | 8 |
| NV | $1038.55 | $113.2K | 109 | 8 |
| AZ | $1009.70 | $768.4K | 761 | 48 |
| VA | $966.23 | $849.3K | 879 | 52 |
| GA | $957.71 | $837.0K | 874 | 57 |
| AL | $944.59 | $719.8K | 762 | 47 |
| KY | $937.64 | $256.0K | 273 | 21 |
| CO | $925.93 | $469.4K | 507 | 33 |
| MO | $912.16 | $437.8K | 480 | 30 |
| AK | $886.78 | $149.9K | 169 | 8 |
| NJ | $874.87 | $224.8K | 257 | 17 |
| DE | $868.12 | $160.6K | 185 | 9 |
| AR | $866.72 | $315.5K | 364 | 18 |
| ND | $844.13 | $115.6K | 137 | 6 |
| OK | $835.85 | $590.9K | 707 | 42 |
| ID | $802.09 | $118.7K | 148 | 9 |
| IN | $751.46 | $400.5K | 533 | 35 |
| IA | $751.04 | $126.9K | 169 | 11 |
| MN | $739.58 | $85.1K | 115 | 9 |
| KS | $733.67 | $293.5K | 400 | 16 |
| SD | $728.32 | $103.4K | 142 | 8 |
| Provider | Specialty | State | Payments | Services | Avg/Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Surgery Center Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | MS | $311.2K | 49 | $6350.44 |
| Mayfield Spine Surgery Center Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | OH | $311.1K | 46 | $6763.26 |
| Madison Physician Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | MS | $303.3K | 46 | $6594.17 |
| Wichita Falls Specialty Asc Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | TX | $245.1K | 37 | $6624.83 |
| Spine Center Of Excellence Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | LA | $218.6K | 33 | $6624.15 |
| Semmes-Murphey Clinic Pc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | TN | $200.6K | 34 | $5901.10 |
| Northwest Neurospine Institute, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | OR | $192.6K | 38 | $5069.69 |
| San Luis Obispo Surgery Center A California Limited Partnership | Ambulatory Surgical Center | CA | $176.7K | 22 | $8032.15 |
| Proliance Surgery Center At Valley, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | WA | $163.2K | 21 | $7770.91 |
| Advanced Surgery Center Of Sarasota, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | FL | $158.8K | 23 | $6903.05 |
| Surgical Clinic Solutions, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | AL | $157.1K | 27 | $5817.32 |
| Olympia Orthopaedic Associates Pllc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | WA | $153.6K | 21 | $7313.83 |
| Waveco Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | NC | $132.7K | 19 | $6982.18 |
| Charleston Surgery Center Limited Partnership | Ambulatory Surgical Center | SC | $130.5K | 19 | $6867.61 |
| Wake Spine And Specialty Surgery Center Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | NC | $128.9K | 20 | $6445.92 |
| Performance Health Surgicenter, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | FL | $115.7K | 17 | $6805.98 |
| Mark Frenkel | Neurosurgery | FL | $114.5K | 75 | $1527.15 |
| Central Oregon Surgical Institute, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | OR | $114.2K | 16 | $7138.52 |
| Wellness Ambulatory Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | TX | $112.7K | 16 | $7041.48 |
| Michael Haglund | Neurosurgery | NC | $107.5K | 86 | $1249.87 |
The data suggests significant pricing inconsistencies for CPT 22551. With a 2.7x price gap between the most and least expensive states, geography plays an outsized role in what Medicare pays for this procedure.
Costs have risen 17.4% since 2014, outpacing inflation and raising questions about whether reimbursement rates reflect actual costs.
This analysis is based on publicly available CMS data and does not account for patient complexity, comorbidities, or facility-specific factors that may justify pricing differences.
Note: All data is from publicly available Medicare records. OpenMedicare is an independent journalism project not affiliated with CMS.