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Billing code 35905: Graft excisionMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports operative removal of an infected vascular graft in the thorax, such as an infected graft from prior thoracic aortic reconstruction.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities39 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,526.42 for 35905 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 35905

Graft excision

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
32.68
Total RVUs
45.70
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,526.42

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 35905 → · 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 35905 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 35905 covers

This service involves surgically removing infected vascular graft material located in the thorax. A vascular surgeon commonly performs it in a hospital operating room for infection involving a prior thoracic vascular reconstruction, including an aortic graft. The operative report should identify the graft’s thoracic location, the evidence of infection, and the graft material removed.

Select this code by the location of the infected graft, not by the original operation or the access incision. Documentation should support both the infection and the excision performed. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Do not use modifier 50 for this service. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; 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 35905 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

35905 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,385.88
Alaska*Unavailable$1,957.11
ArizonaUnavailable$1,481.42
ArkansasUnavailable$1,369.16
AtlantaUnavailable$1,588.25
AustinUnavailable$1,505.86
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,453.09
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,621.37
BeaumontUnavailable$1,492.58
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,472.39

35905 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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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
35905 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 35905 rate is calculated

Each of 35905’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 · 35905

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 32.68Practice expense 4.67Malpractice 8.35

45.7000 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,526.42

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 35905

35905 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 35905

Graft excision

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)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
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 · 35905

Graft excision

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 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

35905 without 51 · national facility

$1,526.42

Graft excision

35905-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$763.21

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

35905 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

35905 vs 35901 vs 35903 vs 35907: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 35905
    Graft excision · 32.68 wRVU
    —
  • 35901
    Graft excision · 8.17 wRVU
    —
  • 35903
    Graft excision · 9.29 wRVU
    —
  • 35907
    Graft excision · 36.34 wRVU
    —

How to choose

35901Graft excision
Use 35901 when the infected graft is in the neck; use 35905 when it is in the thorax.
35903Graft excision
Use 35903 for an infected graft in an extremity. The thoracic location distinguishes 35905.
35907Graft excision
Use 35907 when the infected graft is in the abdomen; 35905 identifies a thoracic graft.

Codes related to 35905

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

Codes related to 35905
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
35901Graft excisionSibling code for excision of an infected graft located in the neck.No office rate
35903Graft excisionSibling code for excision of an infected graft located in an extremity.No office rate
35907Graft excisionSibling code for excision of an infected graft located in the abdomen.No office rate

35905 billing questions

How do I distinguish this code from 35903?

Choose by the location of the infected graft: 35905 is for a graft in the thorax, while 35903 is for one in an extremity.

What documentation supports reporting this service?

The operative report should describe the infection, identify the graft’s thoracic location, and document the graft material removed.

Should modifier 50 be appended for grafts on both sides?

No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.

What postoperative care is included in the global period?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires 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 35905PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,428 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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