Billing code 36013: Pulmonary catheter placementMedicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Reports catheter advancement into the right heart or main pulmonary artery for pulmonary vascular procedures when selective branch catheterization is not performed.
Medicare pays $768.55–$848.58 for 36013 in the office in Oregon, from Rest Of Oregon to Portland. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 36013 covers
Code 36013 represents catheter advancement through venous access into the right heart or main pulmonary artery, without selective placement in a more distal pulmonary artery branch. It is commonly used when catheter positioning is part of pulmonary angiography or another pulmonary vascular procedure. Cardiologists, interventional radiologists, and other physicians performing catheter-based procedures typically report it in a hospital or other facility setting.
Choose the code from the documented catheter destination and degree of selection, not just the access site. The procedure note should identify the route and final catheter position; for pulmonary angiography, the imaging documentation should support the associated study. When other procedures are performed in the same session, CMS applies the standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. When catheter placement is part of a more comprehensive service, follow the applicable billing code reporting instructions rather than reporting the same placement separately.
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.
Where 36013 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | $848.58 | $111.98 |
| Rest Of Oregon | $768.55 | $108.19 |
How the 36013 rate is calculated
Each of 36013’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 · 36013
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work2.46
2.46 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense20.35
20.35 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.40
0.40 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
23.2100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$775.23
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 36013
The CMS indicators that decide how 36013 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 36013
Pulmonary catheter placement
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| 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) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
36013 without 51 · national office
$775.23
Pulmonary catheter placement
36013-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$387.62
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%).
36013 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 36014Pulmonary catheterization
- Use 36013 for placement in the right heart or main pulmonary artery. Use 36014 when the catheter is selectively advanced into a pulmonary artery.
- 36015Pulmonary catheterization
- Code 36015 is for selective catheter placement in segmental or subsegmental pulmonary artery branches, farther along the arterial tree than the placement described by 36013.
- 93451Right heart cath
- Code 93451 reports a diagnostic right-heart catheterization, including its catheter placement and hemodynamic assessment. Code 36013 describes catheter placement for a separately reportable vascular procedure, not an extra charge for the same placement.
- 93503Heart catheter
- Code 93503 describes placement of a flow-directed catheter for monitoring. Code 36013 describes positioning in the right heart or main pulmonary artery for a catheter-based vascular procedure.
36013 billing questions
How is 36013 different from 36014 or 36015?
Code 36013 describes placement in the right heart or main pulmonary artery. Codes 36014 and 36015 describe selective placement farther into the pulmonary arterial tree, with 36015 reaching segmental or subsegmental branches.
Can 36013 be reported with a diagnostic right-heart catheterization?
A diagnostic right-heart catheterization reported with 93451 includes the catheter placement for that service. Do not report 36013 as an additional line for the same catheter introduction.
Is 36013 the same service as Swan-Ganz catheter placement?
No. Code 93503 describes placement of a flow-directed catheter for monitoring. Code 36013 identifies catheter placement into the right heart or main pulmonary artery for a catheter-based vascular procedure.
What documentation supports reporting 36013?
Document the venous route, the catheter’s final location in the right heart or main pulmonary artery, and the procedure performed. The documented tip location helps distinguish 36013 from selective pulmonary artery placement.
How does the multiple procedure reduction affect 36013?
When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the 50% reduction to the other procedures.
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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