CPT code 36011: Venous catheterization, first-order branch2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Reports selective placement of a catheter into a first-order venous branch, such as a renal vein, for a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure.
Medicare pays $690.14–$750.19 for 36011 in the office in Missouri, from Rest of Missouri to Metropolitan St. Louis, MO. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 36011 covers
This code describes advancing a catheter from a larger vein into its first-order branch. For example, a catheter advanced from the inferior vena cava into a renal vein is selectively positioned in a branch; the approach route does not determine the branch order. Interventional radiologists, vascular specialists, and other physicians may perform this work in an angiography suite or another procedural setting for venography, venous sampling, or a catheter-based treatment.
Choose the code based on the catheter’s final selective position in the venous tree: a first-order branch supports 36011, while further selection into a second-order or more distal branch points to 36012. Documentation should identify the accessed venous pathway and catheter tip location. CMS applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction when multiple procedures are performed in one session: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. For a bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50, CMS pays at 150%.
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 36011 pays more and less in Missouri
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
3 payment localities
$690.14 to $750.19
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Kansas City, MO | $741.14 | $135.20 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | $750.19 | $135.86 |
| Rest of Missouri | $690.14 | $133.88 |
How the 36011 rate is calculated
Each of 36011’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 · 36011
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work3.06
3.06 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense19.81
19.81 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.54
0.54 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
23.4100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$781.92
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 36011
The CMS indicators that decide how 36011 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 36011
Venous catheterization, first-order branch
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
36011 without 50 · national office
$781.92
Venous catheterization, first-order branch
36011-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$1,172.88
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).
36011 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 36010Venous catheterSVC or IVC placement
- 36010 represents placement in a central vein. Choose 36011 when the catheter is advanced selectively into a first-order venous branch.
- 36012Venous catheterizationSecond-order or deeper branch
- 36012 applies when selective placement reaches a second-order or more distal venous branch; 36011 is for the first-order branch.
- 36013Pulmonary catheter placementRight heart or main pulmonary artery
- 36013 is for selective catheter placement in a pulmonary artery, not the venous system described by 36011.
- 36000Venous accessNeedle or intracatheter
- 36000 describes introducing a needle or intracatheter into a vein, rather than selective catheter advancement into a first-order branch.
36011 billing questions
How does 36011 differ from 36010?
36011 describes selective catheter placement in a first-order venous branch. Use 36010 when the catheter is placed in a central vein without the selective branch placement represented by 36011.
When should 36012 be used instead?
Use 36012 when the catheter is selectively advanced into a second-order or more distal venous branch. The documented catheter position, not the access site, determines the selection level.
Does 36011 include venography or image interpretation?
The code represents selective catheter placement. A venographic study or its interpretation is a distinct service; report it only when performed, documented, and separately reportable for the applicable code combination.
How is bilateral placement reported?
When the procedure is bilateral and modifier 50 is reported, CMS pays 36011 at 150%.
What happens when several procedures are performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50%.
What documentation supports 36011?
Document the venous route and the catheter tip’s final position, making clear that it entered a first-order branch. For example, identify the branch entered from the parent vein rather than documenting only the access vein.
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
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