CPT code 36600: Arterial blood draw, percutaneous puncture2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Reports a percutaneous arterial puncture to collect blood, commonly for blood-gas testing when an arterial specimen is clinically needed.
Medicare pays $28.83–$35.45 for 36600 in the office in California, from Chico, CA to San Benito County, CA. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 36600 covers
This service covers obtaining an arterial specimen by puncturing an artery, commonly the radial artery, with a needle. It is often performed at the bedside in an emergency department, hospital, or outpatient setting when arterial blood is needed for blood-gas or other diagnostic testing. A physician or other qualified clinician may perform the collection; the laboratory analysis is a separate service.
Report the puncture when arterial blood is actually collected, not for venous sampling or simply because an arterial catheter is present. Documentation should identify the reason for arterial sampling and support that an arterial specimen was obtained. Report the applicable laboratory analysis separately when performed and separately reportable. Under the CMS multiple-procedure reduction rule, when this service is performed in the same session as other procedures subject to that reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are paid at 50%.
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 36600 pays more and less in California
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
29 payment localities
$28.83 to $35.45
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | $28.90 | $13.15 |
| Chico, CA | $28.83 | $13.08 |
| El Centro, CA | $28.83 | $13.09 |
| Fresno, CA | $28.83 | $13.08 |
| Hanford, CA | $28.83 | $13.08 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $30.58 | $13.59 |
| Madera, CA | $28.83 | $13.08 |
| Marin County, CA | $34.72 | $14.47 |
| Merced, CA | $28.83 | $13.08 |
| Modesto, CA | $28.83 | $13.08 |
| Napa, CA | $32.92 | $13.99 |
| Oxnard, CA | $30.41 | $13.43 |
| Redding, CA | $28.83 | $13.08 |
| Rest of California | $28.83 | $13.08 |
| Riverside, CA | $29.05 | $13.31 |
| Sacramento, CA | $30.12 | $13.42 |
| Salinas, CA | $30.00 | $13.36 |
| San Benito County, CA | $35.45 | $14.74 |
| San Diego, CA | $30.60 | $13.42 |
| San Francisco, CA | $34.70 | $14.45 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $29.53 | $13.17 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | $35.36 | $14.65 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $30.82 | $13.36 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $30.09 | $13.34 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $31.12 | $13.48 |
| Stockton, CA | $28.83 | $13.08 |
| Vallejo, CA | $32.88 | $13.95 |
| Visalia, CA | $28.83 | $13.08 |
| Yuba City, CA | $28.83 | $13.08 |
How the 36600 rate is calculated
Each of 36600’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 · 36600
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.31
0.31 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.49
0.49 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.02
0.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.8200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$27.39
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 36600
The CMS indicators that decide how 36600 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 36600
Arterial blood draw, percutaneous puncture
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| 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
36600 without 51 · national office
$27.39
Arterial blood draw, percutaneous puncture
36600-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$13.70
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%).
36600 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 36620Arterial catheterPercutaneous placement
- 36600 is for arterial specimen collection by puncture. 36620 is for arterial catheter placement, commonly when access or pressure monitoring is needed beyond a single draw.
- 36410Skilled venipunctureAge three or older
- 36410 describes venous blood collection requiring a clinician's skill; 36600 is used when blood is obtained from an artery.
- 82803Blood gasesCalculated oxygen saturation
- 82803 is the laboratory blood-gas analysis, not the arterial puncture used to obtain the specimen.
36600 billing questions
When should 36600 be reported instead of 36620?
Use 36600 for a percutaneous arterial puncture to collect a specimen. Code 36620 describes placement of an arterial catheter, generally for ongoing access or monitoring.
Does 36600 include blood-gas analysis?
No. The puncture collects the specimen; report the applicable laboratory analysis separately when performed and separately reportable.
Is 36600 reported for venous blood collection?
No. It represents collection from an artery; venous collection is coded according to the venipuncture service performed.
How many units should be reported for multiple tests from one draw?
The code represents the arterial collection, not each analyte tested. Do not count separate blood-gas results as separate arterial punctures.
How does the multiple-procedure reduction affect 36600?
When the reduction applies to procedures performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50%.
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
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