CPT code 37281: Leg angioplasty, additional simple vessel2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Washington, DC area

In Washington, DC area, Medicare pays $853.33 for 37281 in the office and $144.71 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 37281 nationwide

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

What 37281 covers

37281 represents balloon dilation of an additional tibial or peroneal artery during endovascular treatment of lower-extremity arterial disease. A vascular surgeon, interventional radiologist, or interventional cardiologist may perform the procedure in a catheterization suite, hybrid operating room, or hospital procedure room. Typical cases involve peripheral artery disease affecting lower-leg arteries, with a separate artery treated after the first vessel. The service is vessel-based: treating multiple lesions in one artery does not by itself create additional-vessel units.

Report 37281 only as an add-on to the appropriate first-vessel simple angioplasty code, 37280; it is not a standalone service. Report one unit for each additional tibial or peroneal artery treated, rather than for each lesion or balloon inflation. Use the complex branch when the intervention meets CPT’s complex criteria. The operative report should identify each treated artery, the angioplasty performed, and the basis for the simple-versus-complex selection. CMS places payment within the primary procedure’s global period. For a bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%.

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.

How Washington, DC area compares for 37281

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 37281 runs from $638.90 in Arkansas to $1,008.30 in San Benito County, CA. Washington, DC area pays $853.33. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

37281 rates by state

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

See 37281 in every payment locality

How the 37281 rate is calculated

Each of 37281’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 37281

The CMS indicators that decide how 37281 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

Codes related to 37281

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

How 37281 has changed in Washington, DC area

Price 37281 for an earlier date of service

Where the Washington, DC area rate applies

Washington, DC area is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 1 cities and communities in District of Columbia. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Washington

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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