$941.73
36200 ends with the catheter in the aorta. 36215 applies when the catheter is selectively advanced into a first-order branch artery.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
36200 Aortic catheterization Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Reports advancing a catheter into the aorta without selecting a branch artery, such as for a separately reportable aortographic study. Compare 36200 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alabama.
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 36200 in Alabama?
Alabama has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$500.54
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$112.42
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
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.
Vascular catheterization
About 36200: Nonselective aortic catheter placement
Reports advancing a catheter into the aorta without selecting a branch artery, such as for a separately reportable aortographic study.
This service covers advancing a catheter through arterial access until its tip is in the aorta, without selectively entering an aortic branch. It may be performed by an interventional radiologist, vascular surgeon, or other physician performing an aortic study. A typical use is positioning a catheter in the aorta for aortography; the documented tip location distinguishes this service from catheterization of a carotid, renal, or other branch artery.
Report the aortic placement when it is separately identifiable and not included in a more comprehensive service. Documentation should show the access route, final catheter position, and the study or procedure performed. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. In a same-session multiple-procedure claim, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 invokes the bilateral payment rule of 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 36200
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU2.70 · 16%
- Practice expense (office) RVU13.64 · 80%
- Malpractice RVU0.62 · 4%
9.8K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1472 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.
36200 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
$840.47
36221 describes thoracic aortic catheterization with angiographic imaging. Do not separately report 36200 for catheter work included in that service.
$1,058.95
36245 is for selective catheterization in the abdominal, pelvic, or lower-extremity arterial system; 36200 represents nonselective aortic placement.
Compare 36200 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.
1 of 1 payment localities
Alabama →
Office / nonfacility
$500.54
Facility
$112.42
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 36200 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
4,442
- Code
- 36200
- Physician work
- 2.70
- Practice expense
- 13.64
- Malpractice
- 0.62
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 2.70 | × 1.000 | 2.7000 |
| Practice expense | 13.64 | × 0.875 | 11.9350 |
| Malpractice | 0.62 | × 0.566 | 0.3509 |
| Total RVUs | 14.9859 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Alabama$500.54
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 2.7 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 13.64 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 0.62 | 0.566 |
(2.7 × 1 + 13.64 × 0.875 + 0.62 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $500.54
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 2.7 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.36 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 0.62 | 0.566 |
(2.7 × 1 + 0.36 × 0.875 + 0.62 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $112.42
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
36200 billing questions
When should I choose 36200 instead of a selective catheterization code?
Use 36200 when the catheter remains in the aorta and no branch artery is selectively entered. If the catheter is advanced into a branch, choose the code that reflects the selective catheterization performed.
Can 36200 be reported with an aortography code?
It may be reported with a separately reportable aortographic imaging service when the catheter placement is not included in a more comprehensive code. For example, 75625 describes abdominal aortography, while 36221 includes thoracic aortic catheterization with imaging.
Is catheter placement separately reportable during an endovascular procedure?
Catheter placement that is integral to a more comprehensive intervention is not separately reported as 36200. Check whether the intervention code includes the access and catheter work.
What should the procedure note document?
The note should identify the arterial access route, the catheter's final position in the aorta, and the diagnostic study or procedure performed. It should also make clear whether a branch artery was selectively catheterized.
How does the CMS multiple-procedure rule affect 36200?
When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard 50% reduction to the others. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
Can I append modifier 50 or bill an assistant surgeon?
CMS applies the bilateral rule when modifier 50 is reported, with payment at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 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.
4,43936100,,Establish access to artery,A,,2.94,11.81,,0.37,,0.70,15.45,4.01,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,44036140,,Intro ndl icath upr/lxtr art,A,,1.72,12.87,,0.27,,0.37,14.96,2.36,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,44136160,,Establish access to aorta,A,,2.46,13.51,,0.38,,0.36,16.33,3.20,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,44236200,,Place catheter in aorta,A,,2.70,13.64,,0.36,,0.62,16.96,3.68,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,44336215,,Place catheter in artery,A,,4.07,27.17,,0.94,,0.62,31.86,5.63,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,44436216,,Place catheter in artery,A,,5.14,26.08,,1.02,,1.13,32.35,7.29,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,44536217,,Place catheter in artery,A,,6.13,51.50,,1.37,,1.53,59.16,9.03,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1ADDENDUM E. FINAL CY 2026 GEOGRAPHIC PRACTICE COST INDICES (GPCIs) BY STATE AND MEDICARE LOCALITY,,,,,,
2,,,,,,
3Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC),State,Locality Number,Locality Name,2026 PW GPCI (with 1.0 Floor)***,2026 PE GPCI,2026 MP GPCI
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515