CPT code 36160: Aortic access2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Reports direct needle or catheter entry into the aorta, such as access established for aortic angiography when the aorta is punctured directly.
Medicare pays $531.63–$582.32 for 36160 in the office in Florida, from Rest Of Florida to Miami. 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 36160 covers
CPT 36160 represents establishing arterial access by entering the aorta directly with a needle or catheter. A common setting is an angiography procedure that requires direct aortic entry, including situations in which the operator uses a translumbar approach. Interventional radiologists and other physicians performing vascular procedures may establish this access in a hospital or other procedural setting. This is different from advancing a catheter into the aorta through an artery in an arm or leg.
Report the service when the procedure record supports direct aortic entry and identifies the access route and purpose. The code describes access, not the imaging interpretation; an aortography service may be reported separately when performed and documented. When multiple procedures subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction occur in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%.
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 36160 pays more and less in Florida
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
3 payment localities
$531.63 to $582.32
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | $561.02 | $116.76 |
| Miami | $582.32 | $125.79 |
| Rest Of Florida | $531.63 | $112.37 |
How the 36160 rate is calculated
Each of 36160’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 · 36160
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work2.46
2.46 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense13.51
13.51 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.36
0.36 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
16.3300
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$545.44
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 36160
The CMS indicators that decide how 36160 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 36160
Aortic access
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| 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. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
36160 without 51 · national office
$545.44
Aortic access
36160-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$272.72
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
36160 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 36200Aortic catheterization
- 36160 is for direct aortic entry. Choose 36200 when the catheter is advanced into the aorta through an existing arterial route.
- 36100Arterial access
- 36100 establishes access at the carotid or vertebral artery; 36160 establishes direct access to the aorta.
- 36140Arterial access
- 36140 establishes access at an extremity artery. It does not represent direct entry into the aorta.
36160 billing questions
When should 36160 be chosen instead of 36200?
Use 36160 for direct entry into the aorta. Code 36200 describes catheter placement in the aorta reached through an existing arterial route, such as a catheter advanced from a peripheral artery.
Does 36160 include aortography?
It represents establishing direct aortic access, not the imaging interpretation. A separately performed aortography service may be reported when its requirements are met and the imaging work is documented.
What documentation supports 36160?
The procedure note should establish that the aorta was entered directly and describe the access route and purpose. A record showing only a catheter advanced to the aorta from another artery does not support direct aortic access.
How does the multiple procedure reduction affect 36160?
When multiple procedures subject to the standard reduction are performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%.
Does 36160 represent a professional or technical imaging component?
No. It reports direct aortic access. It is not the professional or technical component of an imaging service.
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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