PM&R and Pain Medicine CPT Codes in the ASC and Outpatient Setting
Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) pain physicians treat chronic spine and joint pain with image-guided injections rather than open surgery, in office-based labs and selected ambulatory surgery centers. The specialty's CPT families are the pain procedure codes in the 62320 to 64999 range and the musculoskeletal injection codes in 20550 to 20611. For example, 64483 describes a transforaminal epidural injection at a lumbar or sacral level, and 20610 describes aspiration or injection of a major joint or bursa.
Whether a code is payable in an ASC depends on its CMS Addendum status. Addendum AA codes are on the ASC Covered Procedures List, meaning Medicare pays them when furnished in an ASC, while Addendum EE lists procedures excluded from ASC payment. DataLily maintains a procedure library that tracks CPT-specific prior authorization and documentation requirements across these families.
PM&R – Pain Medicine codes(1–60 of 329)
- 64483Njx aa&/strd tfrm epi l/s 1
- 64493Inj paravert f jnt l/s 1 lev
- 20610Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us
- 20550Njx 1 tendon sheath/ligament
- 20551Njx 1 tendon origin/insj
- 20552Njx 1/mlt trigger point 1/2
- 20553Njx 1/mlt trigger points 3/>
- 20555Place ndl musc/tis for rt
- 20600Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us
- 20604Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us
- 20605Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us
- 20606Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us
- 20611Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us
- 62320Njx interlaminar crv/thrc
- 62321Njx interlaminar crv/thrc
- 62322Njx interlaminar lmbr/sac
- 62323Njx interlaminar lmbr/sac
- 62324Njx interlaminar crv/thrc
- 62325Njx interlaminar crv/thrc
- 62326Njx interlaminar lmbr/sac
- 62327Njx interlaminar lmbr/sac
- 62328Dx lmbr spi pnxr w/fluor/ct
- 62329Ther spi pnxr csf fluor/ct
- 62330Dcmprn prq rmv lig flv 1lmbr
- 62331Dcmprn prq rmv lig flv addl
- 62350Implant spinal canal cath
- 62351Implant spinal canal cath
- 62355Remove spinal canal catheter
- 62360Insert spine infusion device
- 62361Implant spine infusion pump
- 62362Implant spine infusion pump
- 62365Remove spine infusion device
- 62367Analyze spine infus pump
- 62368Analyze sp inf pump w/reprog
- 62369Anal sp inf pmp w/reprg&fill
- 62370Anl sp inf pmp w/mdreprg&fil
- 62380Ndsc dcmprn 1 ntrspc lumbar
- 63001Remove spine lamina 1/2 crvl
- 63003Remove spine lamina 1/2 thrc
- 63005Remove spine lamina 1/2 lmbr
- 63011Remove spine lamina 1/2 scrl
- 63012Remove lamina/facets lumbar
- 63015Remove spine lamina >2 crvcl
- 63016Remove spine lamina >2 thrc
- 63017Remove spine lamina >2 lmbr
- 63020Lamot dcmprn nrv rt 1 cerv
- 63030Lamot dcmprn nrv rt 1 lmbr
- 63035Lamot dcmprn nrv rt ea addl
- 63040Laminotomy single cervical
- 63042Laminotomy single lumbar
- 63043Laminotomy addl cervical
- 63044Laminotomy addl lumbar
- 63045Lam facetec & foramot crv
- 63046Lam facetec & foramot thrc
- 63047Lam facetec & foramot lumbar
- 63048Lam facetec &foramot ea addl
- 63050Cervical laminoplsty 2/> seg
- 63051C-laminoplasty w/graft/plate
- 63055Decompress spinal cord thrc
- 63056Decompress spinal cord lmbr
Are pain medicine procedures performed in an ASC?
Some are. Many pain injections are routinely done in an office-based lab under place of service 11, while selected procedures are furnished in an ambulatory surgery center. Whether Medicare pays a specific code in an ASC depends on its CMS Addendum status. Codes on Addendum AA are on the ASC Covered Procedures List, and codes on Addendum EE are excluded from ASC payment.
What CPT codes does pain medicine use?
The core families are the pain procedure codes in the 62320 to 64999 range and the musculoskeletal injection codes in 20550 to 20611. Examples include 64483 for a transforaminal epidural injection at a lumbar or sacral level, 64493 for a single-level lumbar or sacral facet joint injection, and 20610 for aspiration or injection of a major joint or bursa. Our dataset maps 329 ASC-relevant codes to this specialty.
Why do pain injection codes have so many billing rules?
Many of these codes specify imaging guidance, laterality, and the number of spinal levels treated, and add-on codes apply for additional levels. Documentation must support the exact level, side, and guidance used, and several codes carry prior authorization requirements. A procedure library that tracks CPT-specific prior authorization and documentation rules helps coders apply the right code and supporting notes for each case.