CPT code 36620: Arterial catheter, percutaneous placement2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Report percutaneous arterial catheter placement for invasive pressure monitoring or arterial sampling, such as an arterial line placed during critical care or surgery.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 36620 in Florida.
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
On this page 9 sections
What 36620 covers
This service covers placing an arterial catheter through the skin for ongoing pressure monitoring or repeated arterial sampling. Anesthesia professionals, intensivists, and other clinicians commonly place an arterial line in an operating room or intensive care setting when continuous blood-pressure data or ready access for blood-gas sampling is needed. The percutaneous method distinguishes this service from placement using an open cutdown.
Select the code when the clinician places the catheter percutaneously, rather than for a one-time arterial blood draw alone. The record should support the reason for access, the arterial site, and catheter placement. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay assistant-at-surgery services for this code; 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 36620 pays more and less in Florida
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Unavailable | $42.98 |
| Miami, FL | Unavailable | $45.05 |
| Rest of Florida | Unavailable | $41.86 |
How the 36620 rate is calculated
Each of 36620’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 · 36620
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.98
0.98 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.16
0.16 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.08
0.08 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
1.2200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$40.75
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 36620
The CMS indicators that decide how 36620 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 36620
Arterial catheter, percutaneous placement
| 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 | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| 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. |
36620 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 36625Arterial catheterCutdown approach
- Use 36620 for percutaneous catheter placement; 36625 describes placement that uses a cutdown.
- 36600Arterial blood drawPercutaneous puncture
- 36600 is for arterial puncture and blood withdrawal. Use 36620 when a catheter is placed for monitoring or sampling access.
- 36660Arterial catheterNewborn umbilical artery
- 36660 is for catheterization of a newborn’s umbilical artery. This code is for percutaneous arterial catheter placement outside that specific neonatal service.
36620 billing questions
How does this differ from 36625?
36620 is for percutaneous arterial catheter placement. Use 36625 when placement requires a cutdown.
Can 36620 be reported for a single arterial blood draw?
A one-time arterial puncture for blood withdrawal is represented by 36600. This code describes placement of a catheter, not just the puncture and sample.
Can modifier 50 be appended when both arms are catheterized?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
Does the 0-day global period include same-day care?
Yes. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the 0-day global period.
Can an assistant-at-surgery or co-surgeon be paid for this service?
Medicare does not pay assistant-at-surgery services for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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
Fee sheets · Coming soon
Put 36620 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
Join the waitlist