35121 describes direct repair of a visceral artery defect; 35122 is the corresponding code to consider when the documented condition is a visceral artery rupture.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
35121 Arterial repair Medicare reimbursement rates
Open direct repair of a visceral artery defect is reported when the surgeon repairs the affected abdominal artery rather than treating a rupture. Compare 35121 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 35121?
The service location and office or facility setting determine which base rate applies. These are the supported base rates for the 109 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Where 35121 pays more and less
Vascular surgery
About 35121: Direct visceral artery defect repair
Open direct repair of a visceral artery defect is reported when the surgeon repairs the affected abdominal artery rather than treating a rupture.
This code represents open, direct repair of a defect in a visceral artery. A vascular or other qualified surgeon may perform the operation in a hospital operating room, for example to correct a localized arterial defect identified during treatment of an abdominal vascular condition. The operative report should identify the artery and defect, describe the repair performed, and distinguish a defect repair from treatment of a rupture or repair of a different named vessel.
Select the code based on the involved artery and the documented procedure; the rupture-specific visceral artery code is a nearby alternative when rupture is being repaired. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the following 90 days. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to standard multiple-procedure reduction. For bilateral procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be allowed; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 35121
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU30.73 · 71%
- Practice expense (office) RVU4.42 · 10%
- Malpractice RVU7.87 · 18%
68
Medicare services in 2024 · #5163 by national volume
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.
35121 compared with similar codes
Office rate ranges across all CMS payment localities, from the same CMS release.
35102 applies to direct repair involving the abdominal aorta. Use 35121 when the repaired vessel is a visceral artery rather than the aorta.
35111 is a site-specific arterial repair code for a different vessel. Base selection on the artery identified in the operative report, not simply the abdominal location.
See how rates vary across the country
35121 · Office / nonfacility · Non-QP. Choose a state to explore its payment localities. A range means the amount varies within that state.
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.
View all state and territory rates as a table
| State / territory | Rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | No published base rate | 1 |
| AL | No published base rate | 1 |
| AR | No published base rate | 1 |
| AZ | No published base rate | 1 |
| CA | No published base rate | 29 |
| CO | No published base rate | 1 |
| CT | No published base rate | 1 |
| DC | No published base rate | 1 |
| DE | No published base rate | 1 |
| FL | No published base rate | 3 |
| GA | No published base rate | 2 |
| GU | No published base rate | 1 |
| HI | No published base rate | 1 |
| IA | No published base rate | 1 |
| ID | No published base rate | 1 |
| IL | No published base rate | 4 |
| IN | No published base rate | 1 |
| KS | No published base rate | 1 |
| KY | No published base rate | 1 |
| LA | No published base rate | 2 |
| MA | No published base rate | 2 |
| MD | No published base rate | 3 |
| ME | No published base rate | 2 |
| MI | No published base rate | 2 |
| MN | No published base rate | 1 |
| MO | No published base rate | 3 |
| MS | No published base rate | 1 |
| MT | No published base rate | 1 |
| NC | No published base rate | 1 |
| ND | No published base rate | 1 |
| NE | No published base rate | 1 |
| NH | No published base rate | 1 |
| NJ | No published base rate | 2 |
| NM | No published base rate | 1 |
| NV | No published base rate | 1 |
| NY | No published base rate | 5 |
| OH | No published base rate | 1 |
| OK | No published base rate | 1 |
| OR | No published base rate | 2 |
| PA | No published base rate | 2 |
| PR | No published base rate | 1 |
| RI | No published base rate | 1 |
| SC | No published base rate | 1 |
| SD | No published base rate | 1 |
| TN | No published base rate | 1 |
| TX | No published base rate | 8 |
| UT | No published base rate | 1 |
| VA | No published base rate | 2 |
| VI | No published base rate | 1 |
| VT | No published base rate | 1 |
| WA | No published base rate | 2 |
| WI | No published base rate | 1 |
| WV | No published base rate | 1 |
| WY | No published base rate | 1 |
Compare 35121 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
109 of 109 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Office Unavailable | Facility $1304.37 |
| Alaska* | Office Unavailable | Facility $1841.68 |
| Arizona | Office Unavailable | Facility $1394.48 |
| Arkansas | Office Unavailable | Facility $1288.60 |
| Atlanta | Office Unavailable | Facility $1495.18 |
| Austin | Office Unavailable | Facility $1417.56 |
| Bakersfield | Office Unavailable | Facility $1367.80 |
| Baltimore/Surr. Cntys | Office Unavailable | Facility $1526.41 |
| Beaumont | Office Unavailable | Facility $1404.96 |
| Brazoria | Office Unavailable | Facility $1385.96 |
| Chicago | Office Unavailable | Facility $1785.24 |
| Chico | Office Unavailable | Facility $1346.56 |
| Colorado | Office Unavailable | Facility $1401.10 |
| Connecticut | Office Unavailable | Facility $1524.00 |
| Dallas | Office Unavailable | Facility $1408.23 |
| Dc + Md/Va Suburbs | Office Unavailable | Facility $1548.32 |
| Delaware | Office Unavailable | Facility $1413.72 |
| Detroit | Office Unavailable | Facility $1612.07 |
| East St. Louis | Office Unavailable | Facility $1691.64 |
| El Centro | Office Unavailable | Facility $1347.87 |
| Fort Lauderdale | Office Unavailable | Facility $1651.22 |
| Fort Worth | Office Unavailable | Facility $1410.17 |
| Fresno | Office Unavailable | Facility $1346.56 |
| Galveston | Office Unavailable | Facility $1398.87 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | Office Unavailable | Facility $1346.56 |
| Hawaii, Guam | Office Unavailable | Facility $1346.47 |
| Houston | Office Unavailable | Facility $1542.92 |
| Idaho | Office Unavailable | Facility $1286.57 |
| Indiana | Office Unavailable | Facility $1291.02 |
| Iowa | Office Unavailable | Facility $1265.85 |
| Kansas | Office Unavailable | Facility $1292.35 |
| Kentucky | Office Unavailable | Facility $1398.18 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $1417.68 |
| Madera | Office Unavailable | Facility $1346.56 |
| Manhattan | Office Unavailable | Facility $1680.55 |
| Merced | Office Unavailable | Facility $1346.56 |
| Metropolitan Boston | Office Unavailable | Facility $1478.71 |
| Metropolitan Kansas City | Office Unavailable | Facility $1421.86 |
| Metropolitan Philadelphia | Office Unavailable | Facility $1512.17 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis | Office Unavailable | Facility $1430.35 |
| Miami | Office Unavailable | Facility $1844.88 |
| Minnesota | Office Unavailable | Facility $1256.13 |
| Mississippi | Office Unavailable | Facility $1347.78 |
| Modesto | Office Unavailable | Facility $1346.56 |
| Montana** | Office Unavailable | Facility $1436.38 |
| Napa | Office Unavailable | Facility $1419.19 |
| Nebraska | Office Unavailable | Facility $1262.04 |
| Nevada** | Office Unavailable | Facility $1393.16 |
| New Hampshire | Office Unavailable | Facility $1410.10 |
| New Mexico | Office Unavailable | Facility $1477.49 |
| New Orleans | Office Unavailable | Facility $1463.95 |
| North Carolina | Office Unavailable | Facility $1332.12 |
| North Dakota** | Office Unavailable | Facility $1280.76 |
| Northern Nj | Office Unavailable | Facility $1543.07 |
| Nyc Suburbs/Long Island | Office Unavailable | Facility $1755.77 |
| Ohio | Office Unavailable | Facility $1426.17 |
| Oklahoma | Office Unavailable | Facility $1362.49 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | Office Unavailable | Facility $1393.42 |
| Portland | Office Unavailable | Facility $1402.42 |
| Poughkpsie/N Nyc Suburbs | Office Unavailable | Facility $1552.32 |
| Puerto Rico | Office Unavailable | Facility $1434.59 |
| Queens | Office Unavailable | Facility $1645.65 |
| Redding | Office Unavailable | Facility $1346.56 |
| Rest Of California | Office Unavailable | Facility $1346.56 |
| Rest Of Florida | Office Unavailable | Facility $1562.63 |
| Rest Of Georgia | Office Unavailable | Facility $1471.43 |
| Rest Of Illinois | Office Unavailable | Facility $1572.06 |
| Rest Of Louisiana | Office Unavailable | Facility $1408.89 |
| Rest Of Maine | Office Unavailable | Facility $1325.73 |
| Rest Of Maryland | Office Unavailable | Facility $1427.39 |
| Rest Of Massachusetts | Office Unavailable | Facility $1407.79 |
| Rest Of Michigan | Office Unavailable | Facility $1457.97 |
| Rest Of Missouri | Office Unavailable | Facility $1409.70 |
| Rest Of New Jersey | Office Unavailable | Facility $1517.04 |
| Rest Of New York | Office Unavailable | Facility $1351.45 |
| Rest Of Oregon | Office Unavailable | Facility $1358.25 |
| Rest Of Pennsylvania | Office Unavailable | Facility $1410.34 |
| Rest Of Texas | Office Unavailable | Facility $1403.88 |
| Rest Of Washington | Office Unavailable | Facility $1395.25 |
| Rhode Island | Office Unavailable | Facility $1432.89 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | Office Unavailable | Facility $1430.91 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Office Unavailable | Facility $1375.95 |
| Salinas | Office Unavailable | Facility $1370.23 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | Office Unavailable | Facility $1376.24 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $1452.73 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $1443.80 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $1493.10 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $1456.56 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Office Unavailable | Facility $1352.91 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | Office Unavailable | Facility $1368.23 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Office Unavailable | Facility $1368.18 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | Office Unavailable | Facility $1379.39 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $1473.64 |
| South Carolina | Office Unavailable | Facility $1386.26 |
| South Dakota** | Office Unavailable | Facility $1262.36 |
| Southern Maine | Office Unavailable | Facility $1338.58 |
| Stockton | Office Unavailable | Facility $1346.56 |
| Suburban Chicago | Office Unavailable | Facility $1651.01 |
| Tennessee | Office Unavailable | Facility $1301.77 |
| Utah | Office Unavailable | Facility $1401.24 |
| Vallejo | Office Unavailable | Facility $1406.31 |
| Vermont | Office Unavailable | Facility $1305.58 |
| Virgin Islands | Office Unavailable | Facility $1434.59 |
| Virginia | Office Unavailable | Facility $1357.11 |
| Visalia | Office Unavailable | Facility $1346.56 |
| West Virginia | Office Unavailable | Facility $1530.86 |
| Wisconsin | Office Unavailable | Facility $1248.80 |
| Wyoming** | Office Unavailable | Facility $1368.56 |
| Yuba City | Office Unavailable | Facility $1346.56 |
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
35121 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from 35122?
Use 35121 for direct repair of a visceral artery defect. The nearby 35122 code is for repair of a visceral artery rupture; the operative documentation should support the clinical circumstance.
What documentation supports reporting 35121?
Document the specific visceral artery, the defect being repaired, and the direct repair performed. The record should make clear whether the operation addressed a defect or a rupture.
Can an assistant-at-surgery be reported?
CMS identifies assistant-at-surgery payment as potentially payable for this procedure. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What is included in the global period?
The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure rule, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to reduction when performed in the same session.
How is a bilateral procedure handled?
CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
