Clarifying clinical intent of spinal decompression items (MBS items 51011 to 51015)

From 1 November 2021, there will be minor amendments to the descriptors of spinal surgery MBS items to clarify the clinical intent of these services. The changes will include the word ‘direct’ being added to the descriptor of MBS items 51011, 51012, 51013, 51014 and 51015 to ensure that this set of spinal surgery items is only used for direct spinal decompression.

Eligible patients for these items will continue to be able to receive a Medicare rebate for clinically relevant services, and providers will benefit from less ambiguous wording supporting appropriate claiming of these items.

PDF version – Spinal decompression – MBS 51011-51015 – 1 Nov 2021 (PDF 226 KB)
Word version – Spinal decompression – MBS 51011-51015 – 1 Nov 2021 (Word 83 KB)