Billing code 64487: TAP blockMedicare rate & RVUs
Reports a unilateral transversus abdominis plane block delivered by continuous infusion, typically for analgesia after abdominal surgery.
Medicare pays $245.50 for 64487 nationally in the office and $56.11 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $216.02–$335.60.
Medicare rate · 64487
TAP block
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 1.36
- Total RVUs
- 7.35
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$245.50
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 64487 → · 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
What 64487 covers
This service provides regional pain control by delivering local anesthetic continuously into the transversus abdominis plane on one side of the abdominal wall, commonly through a catheter. An anesthesiologist or other qualified anesthesia professional may perform the block around abdominal surgery to support postoperative analgesia. Imaging guidance, when used, is included in the service. The infusion method distinguishes this code from a TAP block delivered by injection alone.
Report 64487 for the unilateral continuous-infusion service; use the family’s bilateral code, 64489, for a bilateral continuous infusion. Documentation should identify the side, block technique, continuous delivery, and clinical purpose. Medicare assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. 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. CMS pays a bilateral procedure submitted with modifier 50 at 150%; follow the code family’s bilateral reporting convention. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, and co-surgeon and team-surgery payment are 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 64487 pays more and less
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
109 payment localities
$216.02 to $335.60
109 of 109 payment localities
64487 rates by state
Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.
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Local rates. Clear comparisons.
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$216.02
$299.51
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
View every state and territory as a table
| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $279.33 | 1 |
| AL | $219.35 | 1 |
| AR | $216.02 | 1 |
| AZ | $238.88 | 1 |
| CA | $263.42–$335.60 | 29 |
| CO | $257.81 | 1 |
| CT | $262.30 | 1 |
| DC | $283.32 | 1 |
| DE | $243.00 | 1 |
| FL | $238.70–$259.17 | 3 |
| GA | $224.99–$249.51 | 2 |
| GU | $270.86 | 1 |
| HI | $270.86 | 1 |
| IA | $226.59 | 1 |
| ID | $227.85 | 1 |
| IL | $230.48–$253.95 | 4 |
| IN | $229.27 | 1 |
| KS | $224.82 | 1 |
| KY | $223.38 | 1 |
| LA | $222.76–$234.41 | 2 |
| MA | $255.89–$285.06 | 2 |
| MD | $248.01–$283.32 | 3 |
| ME | $228.40–$242.37 | 2 |
| MI | $228.88–$241.14 | 2 |
| MN | $248.61 | 1 |
| MO | $218.30–$236.08 | 3 |
| MS | $217.24 | 1 |
| MT | $245.49 | 1 |
| NC | $231.01 | 1 |
| ND | $243.31 | 1 |
| NE | $228.09 | 1 |
| NH | $253.09 | 1 |
| NJ | $265.74–$280.03 | 2 |
| NM | $229.93 | 1 |
| NV | $245.08 | 1 |
| NY | $234.59–$288.67 | 5 |
| OH | $228.44 | 1 |
| OK | $223.66 | 1 |
| OR | $243.62–$267.08 | 2 |
| PA | $229.19–$255.08 | 2 |
| PR | $247.60 | 1 |
| RI | $252.44 | 1 |
| SC | $230.02 | 1 |
| SD | $243.06 | 1 |
| TN | $225.92 | 1 |
| TX | $227.56–$256.56 | 8 |
| UT | $233.34 | 1 |
| VA | $241.08–$283.32 | 2 |
| VI | $247.60 | 1 |
| VT | $241.72 | 1 |
| WA | $255.62–$291.68 | 2 |
| WI | $234.71 | 1 |
| WV | $221.35 | 1 |
| WY | $244.54 | 1 |
How the 64487 rate is calculated
Each of 64487’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 · 64487
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.36Practice expense 5.88Malpractice 0.11
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 64487
The CMS indicators that decide how 64487 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 64487
TAP block
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
64487 without 50 · national office
$245.50
TAP block
64487-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$368.25
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).
64487 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
64487 vs 64486 vs 64489 vs 64488: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 64486TAP block
- Both describe a unilateral TAP block, but 64487 is for continuous infusion and 64486 is for injection.
- 64489TAP block
- 64489 describes bilateral continuous-infusion TAP blockade; 64487 is the unilateral service.
- 64488TAP block
- 64488 describes bilateral TAP block by injection. Choose 64487 for unilateral continuous infusion.
64487 billing questions
When should 64487 be reported instead of 64486?
Use 64487 for a unilateral TAP block delivered by continuous infusion. Code 64486 describes the unilateral injection method.
Which code describes a bilateral continuous TAP infusion?
The family includes 64489 for bilateral continuous infusion. CMS applies its 150% bilateral payment method when a bilateral procedure is submitted with modifier 50; follow the applicable code-family reporting convention.
Is imaging guidance separately reported with 64487?
Imaging guidance, when performed for this continuous-infusion TAP block, is included in the service.
What documentation supports 64487?
Document the TAP block, the side treated, the continuous-infusion technique, and the clinical purpose, such as analgesia associated with abdominal surgery.
How does Medicare handle other procedures performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures in that session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the 0-day global period.
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
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