CPT code 36500: Venous sampling, selective organ blood samples2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports catheterization of selected organ-draining veins to collect blood samples, such as adrenal vein samples used in evaluation of primary aldosteronism.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 36500 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 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 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 | $159.38 |
| Beaumont, TX | Unavailable | $156.60 |
| Brazoria, TX | Unavailable | $156.10 |
| Dallas, TX | Unavailable | $158.08 |
| Fort Worth, TX | Unavailable | $158.13 |
| Galveston, TX | Unavailable | $157.22 |
| Houston, TX | Unavailable | $169.49 |
| Rest of Texas | Unavailable | $156.94 |
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
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
| 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
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%).
36500 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
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.
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
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