Cost analysis for CPT 62321 — Injection of substance into middle or upper spine canal using imaging guidance
Average Medicare Payment
$155.38
2023 data
Total Payments (2023)
$31.2M
Services (2023)
191.9K
Price Change (2017–2023)
+11.4%
| Year | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $139.46 | $35.8M | 248.0K | — |
| 2018 | $140.66 | $36.1M | 247.6K | +0.9% |
| 2019 | $147.11 | $38.5M | 250.5K | +4.6% |
| 2020 | $153.06 | $31.8M | 199.1K | +4.0% |
| 2021 | $157.20 | $35.2M | 213.4K | +2.7% |
| 2022 | $156.23 | $31.7M | 193.9K | -0.6% |
| 2023 | $155.38 | $31.2M | 191.9K | -0.5% |
The most expensive state pays 2.5x more than the cheapest for this procedure. AK averages $240.98 vs SD at $97.93.
| State | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK | $240.98 | $71.6K | 297 | 10 |
| NY | $204.41 | $1.4M | 7.1K | 175 |
| CT | $198.03 | $149.3K | 754 | 29 |
| CA | $192.04 | $3.1M | 16.2K | 390 |
| NJ | $186.50 | $858.5K | 4.6K | 138 |
| NV | $186.24 | $189.6K | 1.0K | 34 |
| VA | $182.31 | $906.8K | 5.0K | 100 |
| DE | $181.71 | $259.3K | 1.4K | 24 |
| FL | $181.17 | $2.7M | 14.9K | 352 |
| UT | $177.30 | $516.5K | 2.9K | 53 |
| AZ | $172.81 | $1.3M | 7.4K | 167 |
| MD | $172.54 | $1.1M | 6.6K | 150 |
| OR | $170.55 | $167.8K | 984 | 36 |
| CO | $167.61 | $444.5K | 2.7K | 67 |
| MN | $166.77 | $487.3K | 2.9K | 80 |
| SC | $165.22 | $1.2M | 7.3K | 92 |
| WA | $165.05 | $418.1K | 2.5K | 68 |
| RI | $164.20 | $47.0K | 286 | 9 |
| GA | $163.80 | $1.6M | 9.9K | 230 |
| MI | $162.86 | $615.1K | 3.8K | 98 |
| WY | $161.83 | $47.1K | 291 | 11 |
| NC | $158.37 | $718.5K | 4.5K | 121 |
| IN | $157.67 | $598.5K | 3.8K | 115 |
| NE | $157.06 | $167.7K | 1.1K | 29 |
| NM | $156.82 | $99.6K | 635 | 15 |
| TX | $156.43 | $2.5M | 16.2K | 389 |
| TN | $156.19 | $717.5K | 4.6K | 96 |
| IL | $155.21 | $1.0M | 6.6K | 163 |
| NH | $154.54 | $150.4K | 973 | 29 |
| PA | $154.06 | $1.2M | 8.0K | 201 |
| MS | $142.88 | $637.4K | 4.5K | 59 |
| LA | $140.87 | $546.3K | 3.9K | 87 |
| AR | $139.91 | $451.9K | 3.2K | 59 |
| OK | $139.79 | $585.2K | 4.2K | 71 |
| AL | $138.91 | $701.5K | 5.0K | 84 |
| MA | $138.90 | $386.0K | 2.8K | 76 |
| MT | $138.19 | $91.8K | 664 | 18 |
| WI | $137.75 | $267.2K | 1.9K | 70 |
| ME | $137.73 | $35.1K | 255 | 10 |
| VT | $137.34 | $33.0K | 240 | 6 |
| IA | $135.62 | $172.0K | 1.3K | 36 |
| KY | $135.15 | $451.0K | 3.3K | 69 |
| ID | $134.69 | $177.9K | 1.3K | 38 |
| OH | $132.57 | $544.1K | 4.1K | 127 |
| ND | $128.57 | $90.1K | 701 | 12 |
| MO | $122.74 | $454.0K | 3.7K | 89 |
| KS | $121.19 | $507.0K | 4.2K | 70 |
| WV | $112.76 | $47.0K | 417 | 14 |
| SD | $97.93 | $65.7K | 671 | 18 |
| Provider | Specialty | State | Payments | Services | Avg/Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Southeastern Spine Institute Ambulatory Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | SC | $116.9K | 483 | $242.09 |
| Union Hills Pain Partners Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | AZ | $78.4K | 306 | $256.14 |
| Semmes-Murphey Clinic Pc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | TN | $77.9K | 332 | $234.56 |
| Christiana Spine Ambulatory Surgical Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | DE | $69.9K | 266 | $262.95 |
| Southern Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | MS | $66.6K | 307 | $216.81 |
| Precision Surgery Center, Llc. | Ambulatory Surgical Center | TX | $64.0K | 272 | $235.41 |
| Orthoarkansas Spine Institute Procedure Center Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | AR | $63.6K | 275 | $231.34 |
| Lowcountry Outpatient Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | SC | $63.6K | 263 | $241.85 |
| Galileo Surgery Center, Lp | Ambulatory Surgical Center | CA | $61.6K | 202 | $304.75 |
| Lubbock Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | TX | $59.5K | 254 | $234.17 |
| Main Line Spine Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | PA | $58.1K | 228 | $255.04 |
| Keeran Kumar | Anesthesiology | CA | $56.9K | 247 | $230.55 |
| Blake Christensen | Pain Management | OK | $55.2K | 304 | $181.72 |
| Madison Physician Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | MS | $54.9K | 230 | $238.88 |
| Total Pain Care Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | MS | $53.7K | 256 | $209.91 |
| Baptist Germantown Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | TN | $53.6K | 225 | $238.20 |
| North Coast Surgery Center Ltd | Ambulatory Surgical Center | CA | $52.7K | 181 | $291.14 |
| Lakeview Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | GA | $51.8K | 234 | $221.52 |
| North Fork Surgery Center Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | NY | $51.7K | 172 | $300.75 |
| Bva United Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | TX | $50.2K | 192 | $261.20 |
The data suggests significant pricing inconsistencies for CPT 62321. With a 2.5x price gap between the most and least expensive states, geography plays an outsized role in what Medicare pays for this procedure.
Costs have risen 11.4% since 2017, 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.