Both address intra-abdominal vessel repair, but 35221 is for direct repair. Choose 35251 when the operative report documents a vein graft.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
35251 Vessel repair Medicare reimbursement rates in Florida
Reports operative repair of an intra-abdominal blood vessel using a vein graft, such as during reconstruction after vessel injury or resection. Compare 35251 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Florida.
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 35251 in Florida?
Florida has 3 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 3 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$1685.76–$1977.23
3 of 3 localities have a supported rate.
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.
Where 35251 pays more and less in Florida
Vascular surgery
About 35251: Intra-abdominal vessel repair with vein graft
Reports operative repair of an intra-abdominal blood vessel using a vein graft, such as during reconstruction after vessel injury or resection.
This code describes surgical reconstruction of a blood vessel within the abdomen when the repair uses a vein graft. Vascular surgeons commonly perform it during open abdominal operations for vessel injury or when a segment must be reconstructed after disease or tumor resection. The operative report should identify the vessel and its abdominal location, the defect or reason for reconstruction, and the vein graft used.
Select this code when the documented repair uses a vein graft; a direct repair or repair using another graft material belongs to a different code. The procedure has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. 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. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 35251
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are 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
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU31.11 · 66%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.91 · 17%
- Malpractice RVU7.85 · 17%
189
Medicare services in 2024 · #4368 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.
35251 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Florida, from the same CMS release.
Both are intra-abdominal vessel repairs using a graft; 35251 specifies a vein graft, while 35281 is for another graft material.
This is the corresponding vein-graft repair code for a vessel in the neck. The abdominal location distinguishes 35251.
Compare 35251 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.
3 of 3 payment localities
Fort Lauderdale →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1780.79
Miami →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1977.23
Rest Of Florida →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1685.76
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35251 billing questions
How does this differ from 35221?
This code is for an intra-abdominal vessel repair using a vein graft. Code 35221 describes direct repair without a graft.
When would 35281 be considered instead?
Use 35281 when the intra-abdominal vessel repair uses a graft other than a vein graft. The operative report should support the graft material used.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Document the abdominal vessel repaired, the reason for reconstruction, and that a vein graft was used. The operative details should distinguish graft reconstruction from direct closure.
How is the 90-day global period applied?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
How are multiple procedures and bilateral reporting handled?
For procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. 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 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.
