$587.86–$656.28
36160 is for direct aortic entry. Choose 36200 when the catheter is advanced into the aorta through an existing arterial route.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
36160 Aortic access Medicare reimbursement rates in Massachusetts
Reports direct needle or catheter entry into the aorta, such as access established for aortic angiography when the aorta is punctured directly. Compare 36160 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Massachusetts.
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 36160 in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$568.23–$635.02
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$106.43–$111.39
2 of 2 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.
Vascular access
About 36160: Direct aortic access by needle or catheter
Reports direct needle or catheter entry into the aorta, such as access established for aortic angiography when the aorta is punctured directly.
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%.
CMS billing rules for 36160
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU2.46 · 15%
- Practice expense (office) RVU13.51 · 83%
- Malpractice RVU0.36 · 2%
210
Medicare services in 2024 · #4275 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.
36160 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Massachusetts, from the same CMS release.
$533.78–$594.02
36100 establishes access at the carotid or vertebral artery; 36160 establishes direct access to the aorta.
$520.87–$584.07
36140 establishes access at an extremity artery. It does not represent direct entry into the aorta.
Compare 36160 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Metropolitan Boston →
Office / nonfacility
$635.02
Facility
$111.39
Rest Of Massachusetts →
Office / nonfacility
$568.23
Facility
$106.43
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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 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.
4,43836015,,Place catheter in artery,A,,3.42,19.87,,0.55,,0.49,23.78,4.46,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,43936100,,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