Billing code 37255: AngioplastyMedicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports balloon angioplasty for a simple lesion in an additional iliac vessel during endovascular revascularization, alongside an eligible primary procedure.
Medicare pays $473.60–$529.92 for 37255 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 37255 covers
Code 37255 represents treatment of an additional vessel in the iliac vascular territory by endovascular balloon angioplasty for a lesion classified as simple. It is used when revascularization extends beyond the initial vessel; it is not the code for the initial vessel or for an additional vessel treated with a stent. Vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, and interventional cardiologists commonly perform these interventions in an angiography or endovascular suite.
Report this add-on only with an eligible primary revascularization procedure. The record should identify the iliac vessel treated, support the simple-lesion classification, and document the angioplasty performed and any stent placement. CMS pays the add-on within the primary procedure’s global period. For a bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50, CMS pays 150% of the rate for the unilateral service.
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 37255 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
$473.60 to $529.92
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $529.92 | $134.14 |
| Beaumont | $473.60 | $133.18 |
| Brazoria | $502.14 | $131.42 |
| Dallas | $506.02 | $133.43 |
| Fort Worth | $502.47 | $133.62 |
| Galveston | $504.05 | $132.58 |
| Houston | $517.05 | $145.58 |
| Rest Of Texas | $488.04 | $133.03 |
How the 37255 rate is calculated
Each of 37255’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 · 37255
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 3.00Practice expense 11.56Malpractice 0.71
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 37255
The CMS indicators that decide how 37255 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 37255
Angioplasty
| 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) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| 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 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
37255 without 50 · national office
$510.03
Angioplasty
37255-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$765.05
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
37255 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
37255 vs 37254 vs 37257 vs 37259 vs 37264: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 37254Iliac angioplasty
- 37254 reports the initial vessel for simple-lesion iliac angioplasty; 37255 reports an additional eligible vessel.
- 37257Iliac angioplasty
- Both address additional iliac vessels, but 37257 is for a complex lesion; 37255 is for a simple lesion.
- 37259Iliac stenting
- 37259 is for an additional iliac vessel treated with stenting for a simple lesion; 37255 is the angioplasty code.
- 37264Peripheral angioplasty
- 37264 describes simple-lesion angioplasty for an additional vessel in the femoropopliteal territory, not the iliac territory.
37255 billing questions
When is 37255 used instead of 37254?
Use 37254 for the initial vessel in the applicable simple-lesion iliac angioplasty service. Use 37255 for each eligible additional vessel treated in that territory.
Can 37255 be submitted by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with an eligible primary revascularization procedure.
How does 37255 differ from the iliac stent add-on?
37255 describes an additional vessel treated with angioplasty for a simple lesion. When a stent is placed, consider the corresponding stent code instead.
What documentation supports reporting an additional vessel?
Document the treated iliac vessel separately from the initial vessel, the lesion characteristics supporting simple classification, and the angioplasty performed.
How is bilateral reporting paid under the CMS rule?
CMS lists modifier 50 for bilateral procedures and pays 150% of the unilateral rate. The add-on must still accompany an eligible primary procedure.
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 37255 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 →