CPT code 36557: Tunneled catheter, under age five, no port2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $1,262.22 for 36557 nationally in the office and $308.29 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $1,092.00–$1,728.49.

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

What 36557 covers

This service places a central venous catheter through a subcutaneous tunnel, with the catheter exiting the skin and no implanted port or pump. It is commonly used for young children needing durable access for treatments such as chemotherapy, parenteral nutrition, or prolonged intravenous therapy. Surgeons and other qualified proceduralists may perform the placement in a hospital or surgical setting.

Select the code based on the patient’s age on the date of the procedure and whether the device is tunneled and lacks a port or pump. Documentation should identify the patient’s age, catheter type, tunneled route, and placement details. CMS assigns a 10-day global period, so related postoperative visits during that period are included. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Modifier 50 applies to a bilateral procedure, paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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 36557 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

36557 rates by state

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

How the 36557 rate is calculated

Each of 36557’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 36557

36557 has a 10-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

36557 compared with similar codes

How to choose

36558Tunneled catheterAge 5 years or older

Both codes are for tunneled central catheters without a port or pump; 36557 is for children younger than five, while 36558 is for patients age five or older.

36560Central venous portChild younger than five

Use 36560 for a tunneled central access device with a subcutaneous port in a patient younger than five. Code 36557 is for a catheter without a port or pump.

36555Central line insertionUnder age 5

Both are for patients younger than five, but 36555 describes a non-tunneled catheter; 36557 describes a tunneled catheter without a port or pump.

36556Central line insertionAge 5 years or older

Code 36556 is for non-tunneled central catheter placement in patients age five or older. Code 36557 is for tunneled placement in patients younger than five.

Codes related to 36557

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