FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 35601: Carotid bypassMedicare rate & RVUs

Open bypass from the common carotid artery to the same-side internal carotid artery restores flow around a segment requiring vascular reconstruction.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities111 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,269.23 for 35601 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 35601

Carotid bypass

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
26.41
Total RVUs
38.00
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,269.23

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 35601 → · 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.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 35601 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 35601 covers

This open arterial reconstruction creates a graft route from the common carotid artery to the internal carotid artery on the same side. It restores blood flow past a segment that cannot carry blood adequately or must be bypassed during vascular reconstruction. Vascular surgeons typically perform the operation in an operating room. The operative report should identify the inflow artery, outflow artery, graft, and completed route.

Report 35601 when the documented bypass runs from the common carotid to the ipsilateral internal carotid; select the code by the anatomic endpoints, not the diagnosis alone. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. In a same-session multiple-procedure claim, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Bilateral performance with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and 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 35601 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

35601 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,150.77
Alaska*Unavailable$1,618.88
ArizonaUnavailable$1,231.61
ArkansasUnavailable$1,136.63
AtlantaUnavailable$1,320.03
AustinUnavailable$1,254.44
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,212.71
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,348.80
BeaumontUnavailable$1,238.70
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,224.95

35601 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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 every state and territory as a table
35601 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 35601 rate is calculated

Each of 35601’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 · 35601

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 26.41Practice expense 4.80Malpractice 6.79

38.0000 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,269.23

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 35601

35601 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 35601

Carotid bypass

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.09/0.84/0.07Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 35601

Carotid bypass

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

35601 without 50 · national facility

$1,269.23

Carotid bypass

35601-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,903.85

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

35601 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

35601 vs 35602 vs 35606 vs 35642: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 35601
    Carotid bypass · 26.41 wRVU
    —
  • 35602
    Carotid bypass · 23.53 wRVU
    —
  • 35606
    Arterial bypass · 21.9 wRVU
    —
  • 35642
    Arterial bypass · 18.47 wRVU
    —

How to choose

35602Carotid bypass
Use 35601 for a common-carotid-to-same-side-internal-carotid route. Code 35602 describes a bypass connecting carotid arteries across sides.
35606Arterial bypass
35606 ends at the subclavian artery. Choose 35601 when the documented outflow is the ipsilateral internal carotid artery.
35642Arterial bypass
35642 uses the vertebral artery as the distal target; 35601 uses the ipsilateral internal carotid artery.

Codes related to 35601

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

Codes related to 35601
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
35602Carotid bypassCarotid bypass with a contralateral carotid artery as the other endpoint.No office rate
35606Arterial bypassCarotid-subclavian bypass; the subclavian artery is the distal target.No office rate
35642Arterial bypassCarotid-vertebral bypass; the vertebral artery is the distal target.No office rate

35601 billing questions

How does 35601 differ from 35602?

35601 describes a bypass from the common carotid to the ipsilateral internal carotid. Code 35602 describes a carotid-to-contralateral-carotid bypass.

Which anatomic details should the operative note support?

Document the common carotid inflow, the same-side internal carotid outflow, and the graft route. The operative description should make the bypass endpoints clear.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

How is 35601 paid when other procedures occur in the same session?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are paid at 50%. For bilateral performance, modifier 50 is paid at 150%.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation; team surgery is 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 35601PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,371 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 35601 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 35601 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.

Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →