Headline: CPT code 64629: Thermal ablation for additional lumbar or sacral basivertebral nerves

Lead: CPT code 64629 identifies an image-guided thermal neurodestruction procedure used to destroy an intraosseous basivertebral nerve for lumbar or sacral vertebral bodies beyond the first two treated in a single session. The code clarifies billing for incremental vertebral treatments during the same operative episode.

CPT code 64629 represents a targeted, image-guided thermal ablation service for basivertebral nerves inside vertebral bodies. It matters nationally as a procedure-level code that affects coding specificity, session-level billing, and access to interventional pain management options for patients with vertebrogenic low back pain. Clear use of this code ensures proper reporting when more than two vertebral bodies are treated at one encounter.

Key payers covered in this overview include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find benchmarks for common payer coverage patterns, guidance on clinical context for use, and how the code relates to session-based reporting and facility site considerations. The publication also summarizes typical sites of service, common modifiers used in practice, and gaps in publicly available payer policy language.

This summary is organized to present the most important billing and clinical implications first, followed by operational and policy details, giving clinicians, coders, and policy analysts a concise national-level reference for CPT code 64629.