$139.60–$153.04
75885 represents transhepatic portography with hemodynamic evaluation and radiological supervision and interpretation; 36481 represents catheter insertion.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
36481 Portal catheter Medicare reimbursement rates in Massachusetts
Reports percutaneous placement of a catheter in the hepatic portal vein for portal venous access, including evaluation involving portography or pressure assessment. Compare 36481 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 36481 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
$1711.33–$1915.81
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$281.62–$294.66
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 procedure
About 36481: Percutaneous portal vein catheter insertion
Reports percutaneous placement of a catheter in the hepatic portal vein for portal venous access, including evaluation involving portography or pressure assessment.
This service establishes catheter access to the hepatic portal vein through a percutaneous approach, typically by an interventional radiologist in a hospital interventional radiology suite. The access may support portal venography, pressure assessment, or another planned evaluation or intervention involving the portal venous system. It is distinct from routine peripheral venipuncture and from catheter placement in an ordinary systemic vein.
Report 36481 when the record supports percutaneous catheter placement in the hepatic portal vein, not merely a needle puncture or peripheral venous access. Documentation should identify the access route, target vessel, catheter placement, and clinical purpose. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple 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. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 36481
- 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 RVU6.56 · 13%
- Practice expense (office) RVU41.76 · 85%
- Malpractice RVU0.75 · 2%
603
Medicare services in 2024 · #3391 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.
36481 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Massachusetts, from the same CMS release.
$139.95–$153.44
75887 represents transhepatic portography without hemodynamic evaluation and radiological supervision and interpretation; it does not describe the catheter insertion itself.
$814.96–$912.49
36011 describes selective catheter placement in a venous branch. Choose 36481 for percutaneous catheter placement specifically in the hepatic portal vein.
Compare 36481 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
$1915.81
Facility
$294.66
Rest Of Massachusetts →
Office / nonfacility
$1711.33
Facility
$281.62
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36481 billing questions
How is 36481 different from routine venipuncture?
36481 represents percutaneous catheter placement in the hepatic portal vein. Codes for routine blood collection or peripheral venipuncture do not describe portal venous catheter access.
Does 36481 include transhepatic portography?
36481 reports catheter placement. Portographic imaging and its interpretation are distinct services; report them only when performed and separately supported by the record.
Can modifier 50 be appended for bilateral access?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be billed?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 36481, and co-surgeons are not permitted. Team-surgery billing is also not permitted.
What documentation supports reporting 36481?
Document the percutaneous approach, hepatic portal vein target, catheter placement, and reason for obtaining portal venous access. A record of venipuncture alone does not establish catheter placement.
How does the multiple-procedure reduction affect payment?
When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the remaining procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction.
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.
4,48936476,,Endovenous rf vein add-on,A,,2.58,5.20,,0.37,,0.57,8.35,3.52,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,49036478,,Endovenous laser 1st vein,A,,5.17,23.09,,1.13,,1.09,29.35,7.39,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,49136479,,Endovenous laser vein addon,A,,2.58,6.17,,0.45,,0.54,9.29,3.57,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,49236481,,Insertion of catheter vein,A,,6.56,41.76,,1.11,,0.75,49.07,8.42,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,49336482,,Endoven ther chem adhes 1st,A,,3.41,45.46,,0.59,,0.75,49.62,4.75,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,49436483,,Endoven ther chem adhes sbsq,A,,1.71,2.12,,0.27,,0.40,4.23,2.38,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,49536500,,Insertion of catheter vein,A,,3.42,0.71,NA,0.71,,0.67,4.80,4.80,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00