No office rate
Use 36511 when white blood cells are the therapeutic target; use 36512 when red blood cells are targeted.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
36512 Red cell apheresis Medicare reimbursement rates in Iowa
Report 36512 for therapeutic apheresis that removes or exchanges red blood cells, such as automated red cell exchange for a patient with sickle cell disease. Compare 36512 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Iowa.
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 36512 in Iowa?
Iowa 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
No supported rate
Facility setting
$82.00
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Iowa
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.
Therapeutic apheresis
About 36512: Therapeutic red blood cell apheresis
Report 36512 for therapeutic apheresis that removes or exchanges red blood cells, such as automated red cell exchange for a patient with sickle cell disease.
This service uses an apheresis device to separate and remove red blood cells from a patient’s circulation, with the treatment performed as a therapeutic procedure rather than a routine blood draw or simple transfusion. Hematology and transfusion medicine teams commonly provide it in a hospital or outpatient apheresis unit; automated red cell exchange for sickle cell disease is a typical clinical use. The code identifies treatment directed at red blood cells, not plasma, platelets, or white blood cells.
Report 36512 for the red-cell apheresis procedure, not for each unit exchanged. Documentation should establish the clinical indication, that red blood cells were the treatment target, and the procedure performed. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. If multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 36512
- 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- 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 RVU1.95 · 76%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.50 · 19%
- Malpractice RVU0.12 · 5%
2.6K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2268 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.
36512 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Iowa, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Use 36513 for platelet-directed apheresis. Red-cell removal or exchange is reported with 36512.
$655.95
Use 36514 when plasma is removed or exchanged therapeutically; 36512 identifies red-cell-directed treatment.
Compare 36512 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
Iowa →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$82.00
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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 36512 in Iowa.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
4,499
- Code
- 36512
- Physician work
- 1.95
- Practice expense
- 0.50
- Malpractice
- 0.12
GPCI2026.csv
53
- Locality
- Iowa
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.915
- Malpractice
- 0.397
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 1.95 | × 1.000 | 1.9500 |
| Practice expense | 0.50 | × 0.915 | 0.4575 |
| Malpractice | 0.12 | × 0.397 | 0.0476 |
| Total RVUs | 2.4551 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Iowa$82.00
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.95 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.5 | 0.915 |
| Malpractice | 0.12 | 0.397 |
(1.95 × 1 + 0.5 × 0.915 + 0.12 × 0.397) × $33.4009 = $82.00
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.
36512 billing questions
How is 36512 distinguished from other therapeutic apheresis codes?
Choose 36512 when the treatment is directed at red blood cells. Codes for white cells, platelets, or plasma identify a different target.
Is 36512 reported for each red-cell unit exchanged?
No. Report the therapeutic apheresis procedure, not each unit; document the red-cell exchange performed.
Does a simple red-cell transfusion qualify for 36512?
No. The service must involve therapeutic apheresis directed at red blood cells, rather than transfusion alone.
Can modifier 50 be used for a bilateral procedure?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
How does the multiple-procedure rule affect 36512?
When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction.
What same-day care is included in the global period?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
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.
4,4963650F,,Eeg ordered rvwd reqstd,I,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,49736510,,Insertion of catheter vein,A,,1.06,1.45,,0.22,,0.07,2.58,1.35,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,49836511,,Apheresis wbc,A,,1.95,0.65,NA,0.65,,0.13,2.73,2.73,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,49936512,,Apheresis rbc,A,,1.95,0.50,NA,0.50,,0.12,2.57,2.57,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,50036513,,Apheresis platelets,A,,1.95,0.53,NA,0.53,,0.16,2.64,2.64,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,50136514,,Apheresis plasma,A,,1.76,19.47,,0.42,,0.16,21.39,2.34,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,50236516,,Apheresis immunoads slctv,A,,1.52,64.83,,0.36,,0.35,66.70,2.23,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5006102,IL,15,SUBURBAN CHICAGO,1.007,1.027,1.772
5106102,IL,99,REST OF ILLINOIS,1.000,0.913,1.563
5208102,IN,00,INDIANA,1.000,0.927,0.486
5305102,IA,00,IOWA,1.000,0.915,0.397
5405202,KS,00,KANSAS,1.000,0.904,0.504
5515102,KY,00,KENTUCKY,1.000,0.889,0.915
5607202,LA,01,NEW ORLEANS,1.000,0.941,1.136