Billing code 36218: Arterial catheterizationMedicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Report 36218 for each additional qualifying selective catheter placement in a second-order-or-higher branch of the same arterial family during a primary procedure.
Medicare pays $212.20–$240.09 for 36218 in the office in Texas, from Beaumont to Austin. 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 36218 covers
Code 36218 represents an additional selective catheter placement beyond the primary placement in the same arterial family. The physician advances the catheter into another qualifying branch, with the branch’s order determined by its route from the aorta. This work may occur during diagnostic arteriography or an endovascular procedure. Interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons, and other physicians performing arterial catheterization commonly report it in an angiography suite or operating room.
Report 36218 only with an eligible primary catheter-placement procedure; it is not a standalone service. The operative or angiography report should identify the catheter path, selected branches, and the additional placement that supports the code. CMS treats it as an add-on paid within the primary procedure’s global period. The number and order of branches documented should support the primary and additional placement codes reported.
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 36218 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 payment localities
$212.20 to $240.09
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $240.09 | $46.08 |
| Beaumont | $212.20 | $45.33 |
| Brazoria | $226.81 | $45.09 |
| Dallas | $228.34 | $45.70 |
| Fort Worth | $226.53 | $45.72 |
| Galveston | $227.52 | $45.44 |
| Houston | $231.37 | $49.28 |
| Rest Of Texas | $219.43 | $45.41 |
How the 36218 rate is calculated
Each of 36218’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 · 36218
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.98
0.98 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense5.69
5.69 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.21
0.21 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
6.8800
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$229.80
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 36218
The CMS indicators that decide how 36218 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 36218
Arterial catheterization
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| 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. |
36218 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 36215Arterial catheterization
- Use 36215 for the primary first-order selective placement. Use 36218 only for an additional qualifying placement in the same arterial family.
- 36216Arterial catheterization
- Code 36216 reports a primary second-order selective placement; 36218 reports an additional qualifying placement beyond the primary service.
- 36217Arterial catheterization
- Code 36217 reports a primary third-order-or-higher selective placement. Code 36218 is for another qualifying placement in the same family.
- 36248Selective catheterization
- Code 36248 is the corresponding additional-placement code for the abdominal or lower-extremity arterial family; 36218 applies to its own arterial family.
36218 billing questions
Can 36218 be reported by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with an eligible primary catheter-placement procedure.
How is 36218 different from 36217?
Code 36217 represents a primary selective placement in a third-order-or-higher branch. Code 36218 represents an additional qualifying placement in the same arterial family.
What documentation supports an additional placement?
Document the catheter route, the branches selected, and which selection was additional to the primary placement. The recorded anatomy should support the order assigned to each branch.
Does 36218 describe the angiographic imaging?
No. It represents the additional catheter placement. The record should distinguish that work from any imaging or interpretation services reported separately.
Which primary codes may be paired with 36218?
It is used with an eligible primary selective catheter-placement code, such as 36215, 36216, or 36217, when the additional placement meets the same-family criteria.
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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