FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

CPT code 36500: Venous sampling, selective organ blood samples2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports catheterization of selected organ-draining veins to collect blood samples, such as adrenal vein samples used in evaluation of primary aldosteronism.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities3.3K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $160.32 for 36500 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 36500

Venous sampling, selective organ blood samples

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
3.42
Total RVUs
4.80
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$160.32

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 36500 →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 36500 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 36500 covers

A physician advances a catheter through the venous system into veins draining a selected organ and obtains blood samples for diagnostic testing. Interventional radiologists commonly perform this procedure in a hospital or outpatient setting. Adrenal vein sampling is a familiar example: samples from the adrenal veins help evaluate hormone production in a patient being assessed for primary aldosteronism.

Report 36500 for the selective organ-sampling catheterization, not for routine venous access or placement of a catheter for ongoing infusion. Documentation should identify the clinical purpose, target veins, catheterization performed, and samples obtained. Radiological supervision and interpretation may be separately represented by 75893 when supported. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, 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 36500 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

36500 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$147.65
AlaskaUnavailable$208.93
ArizonaUnavailable$156.37
ArkansasUnavailable$146.13
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$165.54
Austin, TXUnavailable$159.38
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$156.02
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$169.19
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$156.60
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$156.10

36500 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

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
36500 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 36500 rate is calculated

Each of 36500’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 · 36500

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work3.42

3.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense0.71

0.71 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.67

0.67 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

4.8000

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$160.32

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 36500

The CMS indicators that decide how 36500 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 36500

Venous sampling, selective organ blood samples

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is 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)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

36500 without 51 · national facility

$160.32

Venous sampling, selective organ blood samples

36500-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$80.16

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

36500 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 36500

    Venous sampling, selective organ blood samples3.42 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 75893

    Venous sampling, catheter-based blood sampling0.53 wRVU

    $110.56

  • 36510

    Umbilical catheter, newborn diagnosis or therapy1.06 wRVU

    $86.17

  • 36555

    Central line insertion, under age 51.88 wRVU

    $213.43

How to choose

75893Venous samplingCatheter-based blood sampling
This code represents radiological supervision and interpretation for catheter venous sampling; 36500 represents the selective catheterization and sample collection.
36510Umbilical catheterNewborn diagnosis or therapy
36510 describes infant venous catheterization for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes; 36500 is for selective organ blood sampling.
36555Central line insertionUnder age 5
36555 describes placement of a non-tunneled central venous catheter in a child younger than 5; 36500 describes selective catheterization to obtain organ-related blood samples.

Codes related to 36500

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

Codes related to 36500
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Often billed with
75893Venous sampling, catheter-based blood samplingRadiological supervision and interpretation for venous sampling through a catheter.$96.55–$151.13

36500 billing questions

When is 36500 appropriate instead of a central venous catheter insertion code?

Use 36500 when the catheter is selectively advanced to organ-draining veins to collect diagnostic blood samples. A central venous catheter insertion code describes placement of central access, not selective organ sampling.

Can radiological supervision and interpretation be reported separately?

Code 75893 represents radiological supervision and interpretation for venous sampling through a catheter. Report it when the imaging service is performed and documentation supports it.

Should modifier 50 be appended when sampling both adrenal veins?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for 36500; sampling both sides does not make modifier 50 appropriate.

What documentation supports 36500?

Document the diagnostic purpose, the organ-draining veins selected, the catheterization performed, and the blood samples obtained. For adrenal vein sampling, the record should show the sampled adrenal veins.

How does the 0-day global period affect same-day care?

Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the procedure's 0-day global period.

How are other procedures in the same session paid?

Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. CMS also restricts assistant-at-surgery payment and does not permit co-surgeons or team surgery for this code.

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 36500PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,495 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 36500 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 36500 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.

Build my fee sheet