Billing code 37280: Tibial angioplastyMedicare rate & RVUs in Alabama
Endovascular balloon angioplasty treats a straightforward lesion in an initial tibial or peroneal artery during lower-extremity revascularization.
Medicare pays $2,377.06 for 37280 in the office in Alabama (Alabama). Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 9 sections
What 37280 covers
This service uses an endovascular approach to widen a narrowed or occluded tibial or peroneal artery with balloon angioplasty. It is performed by vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, or interventional cardiologists treating peripheral artery disease, including limb ischemia. The procedure is generally performed in a hospital or endovascular suite, with imaging used to guide treatment of the target artery. This code identifies the straightforward-lesion angioplasty service for the initial treated artery in this territory; it is not the code for a stent or atherectomy procedure.
Select the code based on the treated arterial territory, the documented lesion classification, the treatment performed, and whether this is the initial or an additional artery treated. The operative report should identify the tibial or peroneal target and describe the intervention and lesion. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 for a bilateral procedure is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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.
37280 in Alabama
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $2,377.06 | $408.70 |
How the 37280 rate is calculated
Each of 37280’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 · 37280
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work9.80
9.80 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense68.64
68.64 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice2.31
2.31 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
80.7500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$2,697.12
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 37280
The CMS indicators that decide how 37280 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 37280
Tibial angioplasty
| 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) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| 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
37280 without 50 · national office
$2,697.12
Tibial angioplasty
37280-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$4,045.68
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).
37280 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 37281Leg angioplasty
- Choose 37280 for the initial treated artery; 37281 identifies a qualifying additional straightforward artery in the tibial/peroneal territory.
- 37282Venous angioplasty
- Both describe angioplasty of the initial tibial/peroneal artery. The distinction is whether the treated lesion is classified as straightforward or complex.
- 37284Venous revascularization
- 37280 describes angioplasty for a straightforward lesion. 37284 is the corresponding initial-vessel option when the intervention is stent treatment.
- 37271Atherectomy
- 37271 applies to straightforward angioplasty in the femoral/popliteal territory; 37280 is for the tibial/peroneal territory.
37280 billing questions
How is 37280 different from 37281?
37280 is for angioplasty of the initial tibial or peroneal artery when the lesion is straightforward. Use 37281 for the qualifying additional artery in the same territory.
When should 37282 be considered instead?
37282 is for the initial tibial or peroneal artery when the lesion meets the complex classification. Use the documented lesion characteristics and applicable billing code guidance to determine the classification.
Is 37280 the code when a stent or atherectomy is performed?
No. This code describes angioplasty; the tibial/peroneal code family has separate options for stent and atherectomy treatment. Select the code that matches the intervention performed.
How many units are reported when more than one artery is treated?
37280 identifies the initial treated artery, not each artery treated. For a qualifying additional artery, use the corresponding additional-vessel code rather than repeating 37280.
What should the procedure note establish?
Document the tibial or peroneal target artery, lesion classification, angioplasty performed, and whether it was the initial or an additional treated artery.
How does Medicare handle bilateral reporting and other procedures in the session?
CMS pays a bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50 at 150%. The standard multiple-procedure reduction applies when other procedures are performed in the same session.
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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