CPT code 36217: Arterial catheterization, third order or higher2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Reports selective arterial catheter placement when the catheter is advanced into a third-order or more distal branch within a vascular family.
Medicare pays $2,120.90–$2,735.11 for 36217 in the office in California, from Chico, CA to San Benito County, CA. 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.
Your location
On this page 9 sections
What 36217 covers
A physician, commonly an interventional radiologist, vascular surgeon, or cardiologist, advances a catheter through an arterial access site into a selected branch at the third order or beyond. The code describes the catheter’s selective position, not the angiographic images or treatment performed there. It may accompany diagnostic angiography or an endovascular procedure when the catheter placement is separately reportable. The relevant selection is the branch order reached along the route through the vascular family, rather than distance traveled or the number of vessels imaged.
Documentation should identify the access route, vascular family, catheterized branch, and order reached, along with any separately reportable imaging or intervention. Use the lower-order code when the highest branch reached is first or second order; 36218 may apply to an additional qualifying branch. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. In a session with multiple procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate; assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 36217 pays more and less in California
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
29 payment localities
$2120.90 to $2735.11
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | $2,125.04 | $289.91 |
| Chico, CA | $2,120.90 | $285.77 |
| El Centro, CA | $2,121.16 | $286.03 |
| Fresno, CA | $2,120.90 | $285.77 |
| Hanford, CA | $2,120.90 | $285.77 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $2,282.01 | $301.21 |
| Madera, CA | $2,120.90 | $285.77 |
| Marin County, CA | $2,673.06 | $312.18 |
| Merced, CA | $2,120.90 | $285.77 |
| Modesto, CA | $2,120.90 | $285.77 |
| Napa, CA | $2,510.76 | $303.92 |
| Oxnard, CA | $2,275.53 | $296.41 |
| Redding, CA | $2,120.90 | $285.77 |
| Rest of California | $2,120.90 | $285.77 |
| Riverside, CA | $2,137.30 | $302.18 |
| Sacramento, CA | $2,240.04 | $292.73 |
| Salinas, CA | $2,232.14 | $291.52 |
| San Benito County, CA | $2,735.11 | $320.65 |
| San Diego, CA | $2,295.88 | $293.32 |
| San Francisco, CA | $2,671.32 | $310.44 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $2,194.87 | $287.74 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | $2,728.01 | $313.54 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $2,326.42 | $292.04 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $2,243.56 | $291.23 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $2,350.62 | $294.47 |
| Stockton, CA | $2,120.90 | $285.77 |
| Vallejo, CA | $2,508.26 | $301.41 |
| Visalia, CA | $2,120.90 | $285.77 |
| Yuba City, CA | $2,120.90 | $285.77 |
How the 36217 rate is calculated
Each of 36217’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 · 36217
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work6.13
6.13 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense51.50
51.50 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.53
1.53 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
59.1600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,976.00
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 36217
The CMS indicators that decide how 36217 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 36217
Arterial catheterization, third order or higher
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| 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 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
36217 without 51 · national office
$1,976.00
Arterial catheterization, third order or higher
36217-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$988.00
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%).
36217 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 36216Arterial catheterizationSecond-order branch
- Use 36216 when the catheter reaches a second-order branch. 36217 requires advancement into a third-order or more distal branch.
- 36218Arterial catheterizationAdditional branch in same family
- 36217 reports the primary qualifying selective placement. 36218 represents an additional qualifying branch placement, not the primary placement.
- 36200Aortic catheterizationNonselective placement
- 36200 describes placement in the aorta. 36217 requires selective advancement into a third-order or more distal arterial branch.
- 36221Aortic arch angiographyNonselective thoracic aorta
- 36221 represents a cervicocerebral angiography service. 36217 describes selective catheter placement and is not a substitute for that combined service.
36217 billing questions
How is 36217 distinguished from 36216?
Choose 36217 when the catheter reaches a third-order or more distal branch within the vascular family. Use 36216 when it reaches a second-order branch.
Can 36217 be reported with angiography or an intervention?
It may be reported when the selective catheter placement is separately reportable from the imaging or treatment. Do not separately report catheter-placement work that is included in a more comprehensive service.
When is 36218 reported with 36217?
36218 is for an additional qualifying second-order or more distal branch within the same vascular family. Document the additional catheterized branch; it is not a substitute for the primary placement code.
What documentation supports 36217?
The report should show the catheter route, vascular family, specific branch reached, and branch order. Documentation should distinguish the primary selective placement from any additional branch placement.
Should modifier 50 be appended for bilateral catheterization?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to 36217, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
How does the multiple-procedure rule affect payment?
When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard reduction to the others. The code has a 0-day global period.
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
Fee sheets · Coming soon
Put 36217 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
Join the waitlist