CPT code 36568: PICC insertion2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Massachusetts
Placement of a peripherally inserted central catheter in a child younger than 5, reported when insertion uses no imaging guidance.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 36568 in Massachusetts.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
Your location
On this page 9 sections
What 36568 covers
Code 36568 represents placement of a peripherally inserted central catheter in a child younger than 5, with the catheter advanced from a peripheral vein into central circulation and no imaging guidance used. Pediatric hospitalists, intensivists, surgeons, and other clinicians trained in vascular access may perform the placement at the bedside or in a procedure setting for therapies such as prolonged intravenous antibiotics or parenteral nutrition. This is not a tunneled catheter or a PICC with a subcutaneous port.
Choose the code based on the patient’s age on the procedure date and whether imaging guidance is used. Document the patient’s age, catheter route and placement, and whether imaging guidance was used. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; co-surgeons and team surgery 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 36568 pays more and less in Massachusetts
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Boston, MA | Unavailable | $86.93 |
| Rest of Massachusetts | Unavailable | $83.51 |
How the 36568 rate is calculated
Each of 36568’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 · 36568
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work2.06
2.06 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.19
0.19 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.26
0.26 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
2.5100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$83.84
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 36568
The CMS indicators that decide how 36568 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 36568
PICC insertion
| 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 | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| 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. |
36568 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 36569PICC insertion
- Both codes describe PICC placement without imaging guidance. Choose 36568 for patients younger than 5 and 36569 for patients age 5 or older.
- 36572PICC insertion
- This is the imaging-guided PICC insertion code for a child younger than 5. Use 36568 when imaging guidance is not used.
- 36555Central line insertion
- This describes non-tunneled central venous catheter insertion in a patient younger than 5, not placement of a PICC through a peripheral vein.
- 36570PIVAD insertion
- This describes PICC insertion with a subcutaneous port in a child younger than 5; 36568 is for PICC placement without that port.
36568 billing questions
When should 36572 be reported instead?
Report 36572 for PICC insertion in a child younger than 5 when imaging guidance is used. Code 36568 is for placement without imaging guidance.
How does 36568 differ from 36569?
Both describe PICC placement without imaging guidance. Use 36568 for a child younger than 5 and 36569 for a patient age 5 or older.
What documentation supports 36568?
Document the patient’s age on the procedure date, the PICC placement and catheter route, and whether imaging guidance was used.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral placement?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
Is an assistant at surgery paid for this service?
No. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 36568; co-surgeons and team surgery are also 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
Fee sheets
Put 36568 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 →