Summary & Overview
HCPCS S2360: Cervical Percutaneous Vertebroplasty, One Vertebral Body
HCPCS Level II code S2360 represents percutaneous vertebroplasty of a single cervical vertebral body, performed via unilateral or bilateral cement injection. The procedure is used to stabilize cervical vertebral fractures and alleviate pain through image-guided percutaneous delivery of bone cement. Nationally, accurate coding for vertebroplasty is important for consistent clinical documentation, payer determination of coverage, and appropriate resource allocation for hospital outpatient and ambulatory surgery settings.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The publication outlines typical coverage considerations across these payers, common sites of service, and coding relationships relevant to vertebral augmentation in the cervical spine.
Readers will find benchmarks on utilization and reimbursement patterns, an overview of clinical context for cervical vertebroplasty, and summaries of relevant payer policy features where available. The content also identifies areas where input data was not provided and flags items requiring payer-specific policy review. This summary is intended to support coding, billing, and administrative stakeholders seeking a concise reference for HCPCS Level II code S2360 in a national context.
Billing Code Overview
HCPCS Level II code S2360 describes percutaneous vertebroplasty, one vertebral body, unilateral or bilateral injection; cervical. This procedure involves image-guided percutaneous access to a cervical vertebral body with injection of bone cement to stabilize a vertebral compression fracture or provide pain relief.
Service type: Percutaneous vertebroplasty
Typical site of service: Hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center, depending on clinical setting and payer policies.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 72-year-old woman with severe osteoporosis presents with acute onset severe neck pain after a minor fall. Imaging (CT and MRI) confirms an acute compression fracture of the C4 vertebral body with height loss and bone marrow edema consistent with an acute fracture. After multidisciplinary evaluation by a spine surgeon and interventional radiologist, the patient is scheduled for a percutaneous vertebroplasty of one cervical vertebral body. The procedure is performed in an outpatient ambulatory surgery center or hospital interventional radiology suite under conscious sedation or monitored anesthesia care. Under fluoroscopic guidance, a unilateral transpedicular or anterolateral approach is used to advance a needle into the affected cervical vertebral body, and polymethylmethacrylate cement is injected to stabilize the fracture and reduce pain. Post-procedure, the patient is observed in recovery for vital sign stability and neurovascular assessment, receives post-procedure analgesia, and is discharged with activity restrictions and outpatient follow-up with the spine team and primary care.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when work or complexity substantially exceeds usual for S2360. |
24 | Unrelated evaluation and management service by the same physician during a postoperative period | Use when an unrelated E/M visit occurs during global period after .