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CPT code 35526: Arterial bypass, aortic inflow, vein conduit2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports open bypass using a vein conduit from the aorta to a carotid, innominate, or subclavian artery to restore arterial flow.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $1,634.64 for 35526 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 35526

Arterial bypass, aortic inflow, vein conduit

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
30.76
Total RVUs
48.94
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,634.64

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 35526 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 35526 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 35526 covers

A vascular surgeon creates an open bypass from the aorta to a carotid, innominate, or subclavian artery using a vein conduit. The operation reroutes blood around an obstructed or unusable arterial segment to improve flow to the head or upper extremity. It is performed in an operating room, generally in a hospital setting, for selected patients with disease affecting the proximal branches of the aorta.

Report the code when the operative record supports both the aortic inflow and the specified outflow vessel, and identifies vein as the conduit. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 bilateral procedures are paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 35526 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

35526 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,482.57
AlaskaUnavailable$2,061.12
ArizonaUnavailable$1,587.96
ArkansasUnavailable$1,464.23
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$1,693.04
Austin, TXUnavailable$1,629.52
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$1,592.41
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$1,735.83
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$1,584.67
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$1,585.38

35526 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

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Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
35526 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 35526 rate is calculated

Each of 35526’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

How the rate is built · 35526

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work30.76

30.76 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense10.80

10.80 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice7.38

7.38 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

48.9400

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,634.64

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 35526

35526 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 35526

Arterial bypass, aortic inflow, vein conduit

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.09/0.84/0.07Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 35526

Arterial bypass, aortic inflow, vein conduit

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

35526 without 50 · national facility

$1,634.64

Arterial bypass, aortic inflow, vein conduit

35526-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$2,451.96

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

35526 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 35526

    Arterial bypass, aortic inflow, vein conduit30.76 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 35626

    Arterial bypass, aorta to arch branch28.41 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 35501

    Carotid bypass, ipsilateral carotid-to-carotid28.36 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 35506

    Arterial bypass, subclavian to carotid24.7 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

35626Arterial bypassAorta to arch branch
Choose 35526 when the bypass uses vein; 35626 describes the corresponding aortic-to-branch bypass using a conduit other than vein.
35501Carotid bypassIpsilateral carotid-to-carotid
35501 describes a carotid-to-carotid vein bypass. Use 35526 when the bypass inflow is the aorta.
35506Arterial bypassSubclavian to carotid
35506 describes a subclavian-to-carotid vein bypass. 35526 has aortic inflow and a carotid, innominate, or subclavian outflow.

Codes related to 35526

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Codes related to 35526
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Often billed with
35500Vein harvest, upper extremity conduitIdentifies vein harvesting when performed to obtain the bypass conduit.No office rate
Same family
35501Carotid bypass, ipsilateral carotid-to-carotidVein bypass involving carotid inflow rather than aortic inflow.No office rate
35506Arterial bypass, subclavian to carotidVein bypass from the subclavian artery to the carotid artery.No office rate
Used instead
35626Arterial bypass, aorta to arch branchCorresponding aortic-to-branch bypass using a conduit other than vein.No office rate

35526 billing questions

How is this different from a carotid-to-carotid bypass?

This procedure uses the aorta as the inflow source. A carotid-to-carotid bypass has a carotid artery as the inflow source and is reported with the code for that configuration.

Does 35526 identify a vein conduit?

Yes. The operative documentation should identify vein as the bypass conduit as well as the aortic inflow and the outflow vessel.

Is vein harvesting described by this code?

The code describes the bypass using vein, not the separate act of harvesting it. When a vein is harvested, review 35500 and document the harvest service and site.

How does the 90-day global affect postoperative reporting?

The global includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. Routine related follow-up during that period is included in the surgical service.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeons require supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. For a bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50, CMS pays at 150%.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 35526PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,347 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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