CPT code 36556: Central line insertion, age 5 years or older2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $237.81 for 36556 nationally in the office and $77.49 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $209.69–$317.01.

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

What 36556 covers

This service covers placement of a non-tunneled catheter into a central vein for access such as infusion of medications or fluids, hemodynamic monitoring, or treatment when peripheral access is inadequate. It is commonly performed by a physician or other qualified practitioner in a hospital, intensive care unit, emergency department, or procedural setting. The patient must be at least 5 years old, and the catheter must be centrally inserted and non-tunneled; a peripherally inserted central catheter or a tunneled catheter is a different service.

Report the code for the insertion, not for a later exchange or removal. The record should identify the indication, patient age, access site, and catheter placement. Ultrasound guidance may be separately reported when its requirements are met and documented. Medicare assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; 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 36556 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

36556 rates by state

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

How the 36556 rate is calculated

Each of 36556’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 36556

The CMS indicators that decide how 36556 is paid alongside other services.

36556 compared with similar codes

How to choose

36555Central line insertionUnder age 5

Both codes describe non-tunneled central catheter insertion; 36555 is for patients younger than 5 years, while 36556 is for patients age 5 years or older.

36558Tunneled catheterAge 5 years or older

36558 is for a tunneled central catheter in a patient age 5 years or older. Choose 36556 for a non-tunneled catheter.

36569PICC insertionAge 5 or older, no imaging

36569 describes PICC insertion without imaging in a patient age 5 years or older. A PICC is inserted through a peripheral vein, unlike the centrally inserted catheter reported with 36556.

76937Vascular access guidanceUltrasound guidance

76937 reports ultrasound guidance for vascular access when its requirements are met; it does not replace the catheter insertion service reported with 36556.

Codes related to 36556

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