CPT code 37215: Carotid stenting, with distal embolic protection2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 37215 in California.

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

What 37215 covers

This service places an intravascular stent in a cervical carotid artery through a percutaneous approach, using a distal embolic protection device to capture debris during treatment. It is commonly performed by an interventional radiologist, vascular surgeon, or other qualified endovascular specialist in a hospital angiography or catheterization suite, often to treat carotid artery narrowing. Angioplasty may also be performed as part of the intervention.

Report this code when the treated vessel is a cervical carotid artery and distal embolic protection is used; code 37216 distinguishes treatment without that protection. Document the target artery, use of the protection device, intervention performed, and clinical facts supporting Medicare coverage, which is restricted to specific circumstances. Related preoperative care on the day before surgery and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the 90-day global period. In the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires medical-necessity documentation; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation. Team surgery is 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 37215 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 of 29 payment localities

How the 37215 rate is calculated

Each of 37215’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 37215

37215 has a 90-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

37215 compared with similar codes

How to choose

37216Carotid stentWithout embolic protection

Both describe percutaneous stenting of a cervical carotid artery. Choose 37215 when distal embolic protection is used; choose 37216 when it is not.

37217Carotid stentingRetrograde approach

This code is for stenting the intrathoracic common carotid or innominate artery by a percutaneous retrograde approach, rather than a cervical carotid target.

37218Carotid stentingAntegrade intrathoracic approach

This code addresses the intrathoracic common carotid or innominate artery through an antegrade approach with open cervical exposure, not percutaneous cervical carotid stenting.

37246Arterial angioplastyInitial artery

This describes arterial balloon angioplasty without stent placement. Angioplasty performed as part of the stenting intervention is included in 37215.

Codes related to 37215

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