Billing code 36481: Portal catheterMedicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Reports percutaneous placement of a catheter in the hepatic portal vein for portal venous access, including evaluation involving portography or pressure assessment.
Medicare pays $1,625.96–$1,790.90 for 36481 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 36481 covers
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.
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 36481 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | $1,790.90 | $282.44 |
| Rest Of Oregon | $1,625.96 | $273.65 |
How the 36481 rate is calculated
Each of 36481’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 · 36481
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 6.56Practice expense 41.76Malpractice 0.75
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 36481
The CMS indicators that decide how 36481 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 36481
Portal catheter
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is 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) | 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
36481 without 51 · national office
$1,638.98
Portal catheter
36481-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$819.49
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%).
36481 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
36481 vs 75885 vs 75887 vs 36011: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 75885Hepatic venography
- 75885 represents transhepatic portography with hemodynamic evaluation and radiological supervision and interpretation; 36481 represents catheter insertion.
- 75887Hepatic venography
- 75887 represents transhepatic portography without hemodynamic evaluation and radiological supervision and interpretation; it does not describe the catheter insertion itself.
- 36011Venous catheterization
- 36011 describes selective catheter placement in a venous branch. Choose 36481 for percutaneous catheter placement specifically in the hepatic portal vein.
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 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
Fee sheets
Put 36481 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →