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CPT code 35870: Vascular graft repair, graft defect repair2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Report 35870 when a surgeon repairs a structural defect in an existing blood vessel graft, rather than removing graft clot or revising a femoral anastomosis.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities23 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,135.63 for 35870 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 35870

Vascular graft repair, graft defect repair

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
23.89
Total RVUs
34.00
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,135.63

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 35870 →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 35870 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 35870 covers

Code 35870 describes operative repair of a defect in an existing blood vessel graft. A vascular surgeon typically performs the work in an operating room, often during a return procedure when inspection identifies damage such as a leak or disruption in the graft. The documented service should show repair of the graft itself, not simply exploration or treatment of a different graft problem such as clot removal.

Report the code when the operative note identifies the graft defect and the repair performed. It has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires 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 35870 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

35870 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,030.36
AlaskaUnavailable$1,451.66
ArizonaUnavailable$1,102.10
ArkansasUnavailable$1,017.81
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$1,181.18
Austin, TXUnavailable$1,121.71
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$1,083.82
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$1,206.52
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$1,109.12
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$1,095.91

35870 rates by state

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

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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
35870 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 35870 rate is calculated

Each of 35870’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 · 35870

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work23.89

23.89 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense4.00

4.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice6.11

6.11 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

34.0000

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,135.63

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 35870

35870 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 35870

Vascular graft repair, graft defect repair

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)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
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 · 35870

Vascular graft repair, graft defect repair

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 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

35870 without 51 · national facility

$1,135.63

Vascular graft repair, graft defect repair

35870-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$567.82

When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).

When to use modifier 51

35870 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 35870

    Vascular graft repair, graft defect repair23.89 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 35875

    Graft thrombectomy, without graft revision10.45 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 35876

    Graft thrombectomy, with graft revision17.37 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 35879

    Bypass revision, femoral-popliteal, vein patch16.97 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 35881

    Bypass revision, vein interposition, no thrombectomy18.87 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

35875Graft thrombectomyWithout graft revision
35875 describes open clot removal from an arterial or venous graft. Choose 35870 when the service repairs a structural graft defect instead.
35876Graft thrombectomyWith graft revision
35876 is for open graft thrombectomy with revision. It applies when the service includes clot removal and graft revision, not simply repair of a defect.
35879Bypass revisionFemoral-popliteal, vein patch
35879 addresses revision of a femoral anastomosis involving a nonautogenous graft. It is not the general code for repairing a defect elsewhere in a graft.
35881Bypass revisionVein interposition, no thrombectomy
35881 addresses revision of a femoral anastomosis involving an autogenous vein graft; 35870 describes repair of a graft defect.

Codes related to 35870

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

Codes related to 35870
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
35875Graft thrombectomy, without graft revisionUse for open removal of clot from an arterial or venous graft rather than repair of a graft defect.No office rate
35876Graft thrombectomy, with graft revisionFor open graft thrombectomy with revision when clot removal and graft revision are performed.No office rate
35879Bypass revision, femoral-popliteal, vein patchFor revision of a femoral anastomosis involving a nonautogenous graft.No office rate
35881Bypass revision, vein interposition, no thrombectomyFor revision of a femoral anastomosis involving an autogenous vein graft.No office rate

35870 billing questions

How is 35870 different from graft thrombectomy?

Use 35870 for repair of a structural defect in the graft. Codes 35875 and 35876 describe open removal of clot, with 35876 also including graft revision.

When is a femoral anastomosis revision a better fit?

Use the applicable femoral anastomosis revision code when the operative service revises that connection. Codes 35879 and 35881 distinguish nonautogenous from autogenous vein grafts.

What documentation supports reporting 35870?

Document the existing graft, the defect found, and the specific repair performed. The record should make clear that the service repaired the graft rather than only exploring it or removing a clot.

How does the 90-day global period affect follow-up?

The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.

Can 35870 be reported with another procedure in the same session?

It may be reported when a distinct additional procedure is performed. Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%; an assistant may be paid, while co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.

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 35870PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,419 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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