CPT code 36400: Venipuncture, under age three, femoral or jugular2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $27.39 for 36400 nationally in the office and $15.70 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $25.04–$34.79.

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

What 36400 covers

This service captures a difficult venous blood draw from the femoral or jugular vein in a child younger than three when access requires a physician’s or qualified health care professional’s skill. It is typically used to obtain a diagnostic blood specimen when routine peripheral access is not suitable. The code describes venipuncture, not placement of a central venous catheter or surgical venous cutdown. Documentation should identify the child’s age, access site, and circumstances supporting skilled access.

Select the code by both age and vein: scalp vein access and access through another vein in this age group have separate codes, while skilled venipuncture in an older patient falls under a different code. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies a 50% payment reduction to the others.

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 36400 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

36400 rates by state

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

How the 36400 rate is calculated

Each of 36400’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 36400

The CMS indicators that decide how 36400 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

36400 compared with similar codes

How to choose

36405Scalp venipunctureYounger than 3 years

Use 36405 for skilled scalp vein access in a child younger than three; 36400 identifies femoral or jugular access.

36406Pediatric venipunctureOther vein, under age three

Use 36406 for skilled access through a vein other than the femoral, jugular, or scalp vein in a child younger than three.

36410Skilled venipunctureAge three or older

Use 36410 for skilled venipuncture in a patient age three or older; 36400 is limited to children younger than three with femoral or jugular access.

36415VenipunctureRoutine venous sample

Use 36415 for routine venous blood collection. 36400 identifies skilled femoral or jugular access in a child younger than three.

Codes related to 36400

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

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates