CPT code 36000: Venous access, needle or intracatheter2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Identifies placement of a needle or intracatheter into a vein to establish access for an injection, infusion, or another procedure.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 36000 in Texas.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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On this page 9 sections
What 36000 covers
CPT 36000 identifies placement of a needle or intracatheter into a vein to establish venous access. Clinicians use this access when a treatment or procedure requires a route into the venous circulation, including an injection or infusion. The code describes access placement, not advancement of a catheter to a central venous site and not collection of a blood specimen. It is reported by the clinician performing the access in treatment or procedure settings.
Medicare assigns this code physician fee schedule status B. Medicare never pays it separately; its payment is included in payment for other services. The code identifies the access service and does not represent an infusion, injection, drug dose, or dose-based unit. Catheter placement into the superior or inferior vena cava is described by 36010, rather than this venous-entry code.
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 36000 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Beaumont, TX | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Brazoria, TX | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Dallas, TX | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Fort Worth, TX | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Galveston, TX | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Houston, TX | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Rest of Texas | Unavailable | Unavailable |
How the 36000 rate is calculated
Each of 36000’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 · 36000
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.18
0.18 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.74
0.74 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.02
0.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.9400
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$31.40
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 36000
36000 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.
Place of service · 36000
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
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36000 isn’t priced in this setting.
36000 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 36010Venous catheterSVC or IVC placement
- 36000 identifies venous entry with a needle or intracatheter. Code 36010 describes catheter placement into the superior or inferior vena cava.
- 36410Skilled venipunctureAge three or older
- Code 36410 describes venipuncture requiring physician skill for a diagnostic or therapeutic purpose; 36000 identifies venous access placement.
- 36415VenipunctureRoutine venous sample
- Code 36415 describes routine venipuncture for blood collection. Code 36000 identifies venous access for another service.
36000 billing questions
When is 36000 used instead of 36010?
36000 identifies venous entry with a needle or intracatheter. Code 36010 describes catheter placement into the superior or inferior vena cava.
Is 36000 the code for a routine blood draw?
No. Code 36000 identifies venous access, while 36415 describes routine venipuncture for blood collection.
Does Medicare pay 36000 separately with an infusion or injection?
No. Medicare assigns status B, so payment for 36000 is included in payment for other services.
Does 36000 describe the infusion or injection itself?
No. It identifies placement of venous access; the infusion or injection is a distinct service.
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
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