Billing code 35860: Artery explorationMedicare rate & RVUs in Ohio
Reports open exploration of an extremity artery for a suspected vascular problem when the exploration ends without surgical repair.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 35860 in Ohio.
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 35860 covers
A surgeon exposes and examines an artery in an arm or leg to investigate a suspected problem such as bleeding or injury. The service is performed in an operative setting, commonly by a vascular surgeon, and is reported when the exploration does not lead to surgical repair. If the surgeon identifies a problem and repairs it, the definitive procedure—not exploration without repair—describes the work performed.
Choose this code for exploration of an extremity artery, rather than exploration of vessels in the neck, chest, or abdomen. The operative report should identify the extremity site, the reason for exploration, the findings, and that no repair was performed. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related 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. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
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.
35860 in Ohio
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | Unavailable | $763.01 |
How the 35860 rate is calculated
Each of 35860’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 · 35860
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 14.87Practice expense 4.66Malpractice 3.69
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 35860
35860 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 35860
Artery exploration
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| 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) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.09/0.84/0.07 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 35860
Artery exploration
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
35860 without 51 · national facility
$775.57
Artery exploration
35860-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$387.79
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%).
35860 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
35860 vs 35800 vs 35840 vs 35870: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 35800Neck exploration
- Both describe exploration without repair, but 35800 concerns vessels in the neck; this code concerns an extremity artery.
- 35840Abdominal exploration
- This code is for an extremity artery. Use 35840 for exploration of vessels in the abdomen.
- 35870Vascular graft repair
- This code describes exploration without repair. Code 35870 concerns repair of a defect in a blood vessel graft.
35860 billing questions
When should this code be chosen instead of an extremity artery repair code?
Use it when the surgeon explores an extremity artery but does not perform a surgical repair. If a repair is performed, report the applicable definitive repair procedure instead.
Can exploration be reported separately when the surgeon repairs the artery?
This code describes exploration that is not followed by surgical repair. Do not use it to separately report the exploration leading to a repair.
Can modifier 50 be used when both limbs are explored?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code. Report the services according to the operative work and applicable coding rules.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative care?
The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is 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 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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