CPT code 36860: Cannula declotting, external cannula, no revision2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports clearing clot from an external cannula associated with an arteriovenous shunt or fistula when the access itself is not revised.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $258.19 for 36860 nationally in the office and $98.20 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $225.16–$335.14.

Medicare rate · 36860

Cannula declotting, external cannula, no revision

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
1.96
Total RVUs
7.73
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$258.19

Office setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 36860 →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 36860 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 36860 covers

This service clears thrombus from an external cannula used with an arteriovenous shunt or fistula for hemodialysis. It is distinct from removing clot from the access circuit itself or surgically revising the access. A physician who manages dialysis access, commonly a vascular surgeon or access surgeon, may perform it when cannula obstruction interferes with use of the access.

Report the code when documentation identifies the external cannula as the site of clot and shows that declotting was performed without access revision. Record the access involved, the obstructing clot, the work performed, and the result. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant at surgery is not paid; co-surgeon and team-surgery billing 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 36860 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 payment localities

$225.16 to $335.14

$225.16$280.15$335.14
One dot per payment locality, office / nonfacility. Hover a dot to see the locality; select it to open that rate.

109 of 109 payment localities

36860 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Alabama$228.83$88.84
Alaska$294.69$124.30
Arizona$250.29$95.26
Arkansas$225.16$87.72
Atlanta, GA$264.62$102.07
Austin, TX$266.57$97.30
Bakersfield, CA$269.64$94.29
Baltimore area, MD$276.10$104.43
Beaumont, TX$241.17$95.58
Brazoria, TX$253.38$94.83

36860 rates by state

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

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

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

$225.16

$301.70

Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.

View every state and territory as a table
36860 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AK$294.691
AL$228.831
AR$225.161
AZ$250.291
CA$268.26–$335.1429
CO$266.491
CT$276.601
DC$294.921
DE$254.691
FL$259.03–$291.443
GA$242.49–$264.622
GU$275.091
HI$275.091
IA$232.981
ID$235.161
IL$252.49–$281.594
IN$236.611
KS$232.871
KY$237.241
LA$237.27–$250.142
MA$265.09–$293.082
MD$259.56–$294.923
ME$237.69–$250.322
MI$245.10–$263.732
MN$251.291
MO$233.50–$249.793
MS$229.321
MT$258.151
NC$240.271
ND$248.071
NE$234.071
NH$263.261
NJ$278.62–$291.582
NM$247.031
NV$255.521
NY$244.35–$310.185
OH$243.041
OK$235.591
OR$252.43–$274.382
PA$242.85–$269.862
PR$259.871
RI$263.391
SC$242.281
SD$246.881
TN$234.311
TX$241.17–$266.578
UT$245.911
VA$250.19–$294.922
VI$259.871
VT$248.021
WA$264.28–$298.232
WI$239.021
WV$242.521
WY$253.761

How the 36860 rate is calculated

Each of 36860’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 · 36860

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work1.96

1.96 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense5.26

5.26 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.51

0.51 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

7.7300

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$258.19

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 36860

The CMS indicators that decide how 36860 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 36860

Cannula declotting, external cannula, no revision

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
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.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

36860 without 51 · national office

$258.19

Cannula declotting, external cannula, no revision

36860-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$129.10

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%).

When to use modifier 51

36860 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 36860

    Cannula declotting, external cannula, no revision1.96 wRVU

    $258.19

  • 36831

    Fistula thrombectomy, open, without revision10.73 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 36861

    Cannula declotting, internal cannula2.46 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 36833

    Fistula revision, open, with thrombectomy14.14 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

36831Fistula thrombectomyOpen, without revision
Choose 36860 when declotting is confined to the external cannula and the access is not revised. Choose 36831 for open thrombectomy of the arteriovenous fistula.
36861Cannula declottingInternal cannula
These codes distinguish external-cannula declotting without revision from related cannula declotting associated with revision. Base selection on the documented procedure performed.
36833Fistula revisionOpen, with thrombectomy
Code 36833 addresses revision of the fistula with thrombectomy; 36860 is limited to declotting the external cannula without access revision.

36860 billing questions

How is this different from 36831?

Use 36860 for clot cleared from the external cannula without revising the access. Code 36831 describes open thrombectomy of the arteriovenous fistula itself.

When would 36861 be considered instead?

36861 is the related cannula-declotting code associated with revision. This code is for declotting the external cannula without access revision.

What documentation supports reporting 36860?

Document that the clot was in the external cannula, the declotting work performed, and whether the access was revised. The record should distinguish cannula clearing from thrombectomy of the access.

Is same-day care included in the payment?

Yes. The code has a 0-day global period, which includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.

Can modifier 50 or an assistant-at-surgery claim be reported?

Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for it.

What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full; other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Co-surgeon and team-surgery billing 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
RVUs for 36860PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,560 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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