$255.89–$285.06
Both describe unilateral TAP blocks, but 64486 is for injection and 64487 is for continuous infusion through a catheter.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
64486 TAP block Medicare reimbursement rates in Massachusetts
A unilateral transversus abdominis plane block by injection provides abdominal wall analgesia, commonly for pain control after abdominal surgery. Compare 64486 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 64486 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
$130.03–$143.06
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$48.78–$50.93
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.
Regional anesthesia
About 64486: Unilateral TAP block by injection
A unilateral transversus abdominis plane block by injection provides abdominal wall analgesia, commonly for pain control after abdominal surgery.
This service places local anesthetic into the plane between abdominal wall muscle layers to reduce pain from the abdominal wall on one side. Anesthesiologists, pain physicians, and other qualified clinicians commonly perform the block for perioperative analgesia, including after abdominal operations. The service covers injection rather than delivery through a catheter for continuous infusion; imaging guidance, when used, is included in the block service.
Report 64486 for the unilateral injection service, documenting the side, block site, medication, and clinical purpose. A catheter-based continuous infusion is reported with 64487, while bilateral injection has its own code, 64488. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. 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. CMS lists bilateral modifier 50 payment at 150%; assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 64486
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- 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 RVU1.17 · 31%
- Practice expense (office) RVU2.50 · 66%
- Malpractice RVU0.09 · 2%
6.9K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1674 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.
64486 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Massachusetts, from the same CMS release.
$152.74–$168.05
Use 64486 for a unilateral injection block; 64488 identifies bilateral injection.
$421.12–$471.10
Use 64489 for bilateral continuous infusion through a catheter; 64486 is a unilateral injection service.
Compare 64486 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
$143.06
Facility
$50.93
Rest Of Massachusetts →
Office / nonfacility
$130.03
Facility
$48.78
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64486 billing questions
When should 64486 be chosen instead of 64487?
Use 64486 for a unilateral TAP block delivered by injection. Use 64487 when the service uses a catheter for continuous infusion.
How is a bilateral injection block reported?
Code 64488 specifically describes bilateral TAP block by injection. CMS lists modifier 50 payment at 150% for a bilateral procedure; follow the applicable reporting convention for the service and claim.
Is ultrasound guidance separately reported?
Imaging guidance, when performed for this block, is included in the service rather than separately reported as guidance for the TAP block.
What documentation supports 64486?
Document the unilateral side, injection site, medication, and reason for the block. The record should also support that the service was an injection rather than catheter-based continuous infusion.
Are same-day preoperative and postoperative visits separately included?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care for this procedure.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be billed for this block?
CMS restricts assistant-at-surgery payment for 64486. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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.
7,12764480,,Njx aa&/strd tfrm epi c/t ea,A,,1.17,3.00,,0.31,,0.11,4.28,1.59,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,12864483,,Njx aa&/strd tfrm epi l/s 1,A,,1.85,5.91,,0.96,,0.17,7.93,2.98,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,12964484,,Njx aa&/strd tfrm epi l/s ea,A,,0.98,2.46,,0.25,,0.08,3.52,1.31,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,13064486,,Tap block unil by injection,A,,1.17,2.50,,0.19,,0.09,3.76,1.45,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,13164487,,Tap block uni by infusion,A,,1.36,5.88,,0.21,,0.11,7.35,1.68,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,13264488,,Tap block bi injection,A,,1.37,2.93,,0.21,,0.12,4.42,1.70,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,2,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,13364489,,Tap block bi by infusion,A,,1.71,10.21,,0.26,,0.15,12.07,2.12,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,2,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00