Cost analysis for CPT 22633 — Fusion of spine in lower back with partial removal of spine bone and disc
Average Medicare Payment
$941.20
2023 data
Total Payments (2023)
$35.2M
Services (2023)
36.5K
Price Change (2014–2023)
-0.9%
| Year | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $950.22 | $35.3M | 36.8K | — |
| 2015 | $972.40 | $36.9M | 37.4K | +2.3% |
| 2016 | $968.70 | $40.0M | 40.8K | -0.4% |
| 2017 | $971.50 | $41.1M | 41.8K | +0.3% |
| 2018 | $972.35 | $42.7M | 43.3K | +0.1% |
| 2019 | $982.61 | $43.9M | 43.8K | +1.1% |
| 2020 | $1001.60 | $36.1M | 35.7K | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $996.57 | $37.4M | 37.0K | -0.5% |
| 2022 | $975.21 | $37.4M | 37.8K | -2.1% |
| 2023 | $941.20 | $35.2M | 36.5K | -3.5% |
The most expensive state pays 2.2x more than the cheapest for this procedure. DC averages $1586.93 vs AL at $716.55.
| State | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DC | $1586.93 | $160.3K | 101 | 5 |
| NY | $1220.78 | $1.2M | 983 | 58 |
| MA | $1219.53 | $1.1M | 905 | 41 |
| CT | $1140.47 | $247.5K | 217 | 13 |
| PA | $1135.07 | $1.4M | 1.3K | 52 |
| MD | $1099.27 | $1.2M | 1.1K | 46 |
| IL | $1059.63 | $1.7M | 1.6K | 78 |
| CA | $1051.76 | $2.3M | 2.2K | 100 |
| KY | $1040.69 | $295.6K | 284 | 16 |
| MI | $1025.01 | $1.0M | 1.0K | 53 |
| NJ | $1013.32 | $407.4K | 402 | 21 |
| RI | $1011.69 | $134.6K | 133 | 7 |
| AK | $1003.78 | $199.8K | 199 | 8 |
| IA | $1002.35 | $205.5K | 205 | 10 |
| FL | $992.38 | $3.0M | 3.0K | 124 |
| VA | $987.03 | $1.2M | 1.2K | 52 |
| OH | $984.23 | $1.2M | 1.2K | 56 |
| MT | $975.92 | $130.8K | 134 | 7 |
| UT | $956.31 | $421.7K | 441 | 23 |
| TX | $947.85 | $2.4M | 2.5K | 110 |
| MN | $947.46 | $684.1K | 722 | 38 |
| WV | $926.72 | $109.4K | 118 | 6 |
| AZ | $923.31 | $1.5M | 1.6K | 60 |
| NC | $915.85 | $1.0M | 1.1K | 62 |
| CO | $915.77 | $1.6M | 1.7K | 72 |
| NV | $906.83 | $368.2K | 406 | 16 |
| SC | $905.75 | $771.7K | 852 | 43 |
| AR | $896.69 | $416.1K | 464 | 22 |
| GA | $893.63 | $823.0K | 921 | 42 |
| MO | $886.78 | $730.7K | 824 | 48 |
| TN | $886.69 | $673.9K | 760 | 38 |
| KS | $879.20 | $480.9K | 547 | 18 |
| WA | $869.20 | $900.5K | 1.0K | 46 |
| LA | $865.36 | $568.5K | 657 | 29 |
| OK | $860.04 | $710.4K | 826 | 37 |
| OR | $859.73 | $333.6K | 388 | 17 |
| WI | $857.01 | $214.3K | 250 | 15 |
| MS | $840.07 | $420.0K | 500 | 14 |
| ND | $829.53 | $313.6K | 378 | 10 |
| IN | $818.16 | $1.1M | 1.4K | 66 |
| NE | $810.03 | $503.0K | 621 | 26 |
| ID | $760.71 | $166.6K | 219 | 13 |
| SD | $739.53 | $245.5K | 332 | 15 |
| AL | $716.55 | $346.1K | 483 | 25 |
| Provider | Specialty | State | Payments | Services | Avg/Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Edwards, Ii | Orthopedic Surgery | MD | $203.6K | 127 | $1602.97 |
| Henry Aryan | Neurosurgery | CA | $164.5K | 118 | $1394.26 |
| Derek Duke | Neurosurgery | NV | $146.0K | 101 | $1445.62 |
| Gregory Bailey | Orthopedic Surgery | PA | $121.8K | 85 | $1432.39 |
| Justin Field | Orthopedic Surgery | AZ | $120.0K | 87 | $1379.32 |
| Connor Telles | Orthopedic Surgery | CA | $119.1K | 83 | $1434.49 |
| Arnold Vardiman | Neurosurgery | TX | $114.9K | 86 | $1335.69 |
| Michael Wang | Neurosurgery | FL | $114.3K | 63 | $1813.71 |
| Jeffrey Rihn | Orthopedic Surgery | PA | $114.2K | 75 | $1522.09 |
| Ngoc-Lam Nguyen | Orthopedic Surgery | FL | $111.9K | 75 | $1491.45 |
| Khalid Kurtom | Neurosurgery | MD | $108.4K | 73 | $1484.76 |
| Yogish Kamath | Neurosurgery | TX | $106.4K | 78 | $1363.67 |
| Eric Oberlander | Neurosurgery | LA | $104.2K | 69 | $1510.36 |
| Steven Kraljic | Neurosurgery | ND | $99.8K | 74 | $1348.98 |
| Matthew Colman | Orthopedic Surgery | IL | $95.2K | 60 | $1587.24 |
| Paul Marcotte | Neurosurgery | PA | $94.3K | 62 | $1521.08 |
| James Paraiso | Orthopedic Surgery | FL | $91.6K | 60 | $1527.31 |
| Joel Winer | Neurosurgery | PA | $90.9K | 65 | $1398.50 |
| Bryan Barnes | Neurosurgery | GA | $90.6K | 70 | $1293.91 |
| Andrew Manista | Orthopedic Surgery | WA | $89.8K | 65 | $1380.98 |
The data suggests significant pricing inconsistencies for CPT 22633. With a 2.2x price gap between the most and least expensive states, geography plays an outsized role in what Medicare pays for this procedure.
Costs have remained relatively stable over time, but the geographic variation suggests Medicare's geographic adjustment factors may not fully capture the true cost differences across states.
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.