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CPT code 36625: Arterial catheter, cutdown approach2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports arterial catheter placement through surgical cutdown for blood sampling, pressure monitoring, or transfusion when percutaneous access is not used.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities667 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $95.53 for 36625 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 36625

Arterial catheter, cutdown approach

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
2.06
Total RVUs
2.86
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$95.53

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 36625 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 36625 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 36625 covers

This service places a catheter in an artery after the physician surgically exposes the vessel through an incision. It supports arterial blood sampling, continuous pressure monitoring, or transfusion when access is obtained by cutdown rather than a percutaneous approach. It is most often performed by a surgeon or other physician in a facility setting, including during an operation or acute-care treatment.

Choose this code when the documentation supports arterial catheterization by cutdown for sampling, monitoring, or transfusion; a percutaneous approach points to a different code, and long-term catheter use has a separate code. Record the artery, the cutdown approach, the catheter placement, and its clinical purpose. CMS 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, 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 36625 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

36625 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$88.78
AlaskaUnavailable$126.00
ArizonaUnavailable$93.45
ArkansasUnavailable$87.97
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$98.20
Austin, TXUnavailable$95.32
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$94.03
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$100.39
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$93.33
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$93.51

36625 rates by state

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

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
36625 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 36625 rate is calculated

Each of 36625’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 · 36625

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work2.06

2.06 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense0.47

0.47 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.33

0.33 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

2.8600

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$95.53

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 36625

The CMS indicators that decide how 36625 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 36625

Arterial catheter, cutdown approach

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures0No multiple-procedure reduction.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

36625 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 36625

    Arterial catheter, cutdown approach2.06 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 36620

    Arterial catheter, percutaneous placement0.98 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 36640

    Arterial cannulation, extracorporeal circulation or standby2.05 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 36660

    Arterial catheter, newborn umbilical artery1.37 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 36600

    Arterial blood draw, percutaneous puncture0.31 wRVU

    $27.39

How to choose

36620Arterial catheterPercutaneous placement
Use 36625 when the artery is exposed through a cutdown. Use 36620 for percutaneous arterial catheterization.
36640Arterial cannulationExtracorporeal circulation or standby
36640 describes catheter placement by cutdown for long-term use; 36625 is for sampling, monitoring, or transfusion.
36660Arterial catheterNewborn umbilical artery
36660 is specifically for catheterization of a newborn's umbilical artery. This code describes arterial catheterization by cutdown.
36600Arterial blood drawPercutaneous puncture
36600 is arterial blood withdrawal rather than catheter placement. Choose this code when a catheter is inserted by cutdown.

Codes related to 36625

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Codes related to 36625
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
36620Arterial catheter, percutaneous placementPercutaneous arterial catheterization for sampling, monitoring, or transfusion.No office rate
36640Arterial cannulation, extracorporeal circulation or standbyCutdown arterial catheter placement for long-term use.No office rate
36660Arterial catheter, newborn umbilical arteryUmbilical artery catheterization in a newborn for diagnosis or therapy.No office rate
36600Arterial blood draw, percutaneous punctureArterial blood withdrawal without catheter placement.$24.76–$35.45

36625 billing questions

How does this differ from 36620?

This code describes arterial catheterization by cutdown, which involves surgically exposing the artery. Code 36620 is for percutaneous arterial catheterization.

When should 36640 be considered instead?

Use 36640 for arterial catheter placement by cutdown intended for long-term use. This code covers cutdown catheterization for sampling, monitoring, or transfusion.

What documentation supports reporting this code?

Document the artery accessed, the surgical cutdown approach, catheter placement, and the purpose, such as sampling, monitoring, or transfusion.

Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral arterial access?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 should not be used.

How are assistant and co-surgeon services handled?

Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

What care is included in the global period?

The code has a 0-day global period. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.

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
RVUs for 36625PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,539 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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