CPT 37236: Stent Placement in the First Artery
37236 reports placing a stent in the first artery treated, by open or percutaneous approach. Each further artery takes the add-on 37237, not another 37236. The global is 000, and the fee schedule file prices the same service far higher in an office than in a hospital.
Written by Salman Saeed, CEO and Co-Founder · Reviewed by a Certified Medical Coder · Last reviewed October 2026In short: 37236 is the first-artery stent code, with 37237 for each added artery. It has a 000 global, a MUE of 1 based on the code descriptor, and no assistant or co-surgeon payment. Its non-facility total is 77.82 RVUs against 11.68 in a facility, and the lower extremity revascularization codes changed in 2026.
What Does CPT 37236 Report?
CPT 37236 reports placing a stent in an artery, open or percutaneous, for the first artery treated. CMS prints its label as "Open/perq place stent 1st". The CPT codebook lists which arteries it covers; confirm there before you pick it.
| Item | Value in RVU26D (October 2026) and the Q4 2026 MUE file |
|---|---|
| Payment status | A (active; paid separately under the fee schedule if covered) |
| Global period | 000, so only the day of the procedure is in the package |
| Multiple procedure and bilateral | Multiple procedure 2 (standard reduction); bilateral 0 |
| Assistant, co-surgeon, team | Assistant 0 (payment restriction unless documentation shows need); co-surgeon 0; team 0 |
| Work RVU and totals | 8.53 work; total 11.68 facility and 77.82 non-facility |
| NCCI MUE | 1 per date, MAI 2, basis code descriptor and CPT instruction |
The gap between 11.68 and 77.82 is practice expense: the file shows 67.32 non-facility against 1.18 facility. Chapter 26 of the Claims Processing Manual marks place of service 11 (office) as non-facility and 19, 21, 22 and 24 as facility, so a wrong place of service moves payment a long way.
How Do I Report the Second and Third Artery?
Report 37236 once and 37237 for each additional artery. CMS gives 37237 a ZZZ global, so no separate global attaches to it. Its MUE is 2 with indicator 3, which a contractor may bypass when the record shows the extra units were done. 37236 itself is capped at 1 with an absolute indicator.
| Code | CMS short label | Work RVU | Global | MUE and MAI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37236 | Open/perq place stent 1st | 8.53 | 000 | 1, MAI 2 |
| 37237 | Open/perq place stent ea add | 4.14 | ZZZ | 2, MAI 3 |
| 37238 | Open/perq place stent same | 5.89 | 000 | 1, MAI 2 |
| 37239 | Open/perq place stent ea add | 2.90 | ZZZ | 2, MAI 3 |
| 37246 | Trluml balo angiop 1st art | 6.83 | 000 | 1, MAI 2 |
37238 and 37239 are a second stent pair, so check the codebook for which vessels each pair covers. Balloon angioplasty without a stent has its own code, such as 37246.
What Changed for Leg Arteries in 2026?
The old 37220 to 37235 revascularization series is gone. NCCI Policy Manual chapter V says those codes were deleted on January 1, 2026, and RVU26D has no rows for them. NCCI item 24 now names 37254 to 37299 as the lower extremity endovascular revascularization procedures. They are priced on their own: 37258, labelled "Revsc evasc ivt stent sf 1st", has 8.75 work RVUs and a 000 global.
The carotid stent code 37215 is separate: NCCI item 27 says it includes ipsilateral selective carotid catheterization, carotid imaging and the radiological supervision and interpretation, and RVU26D gives it status R. The vascular surgery billing page lays out the family.
What Is Bundled with a Stent, and When Does Modifier 59 Apply?
NCCI chapter V, item 12, allows one selective catheter placement per vessel when angiography and an intervention happen in the same vessel at the same encounter, and item 13 says operative angiograms are included. A medically necessary repeat study goes on with modifier 59 or XU, plus 52 for a partial study.
If a failed percutaneous attempt is followed by an open procedure, item 10 allows only the completed one. The CPT codebook sets what angioplasty the stent code already covers, and CMS bases the MUE of 1 on that instruction, so confirm it there before adding a balloon code.
How Does 37236 Appear on the Claim?
On the CMS-1500, Item 24B holds the place of service, Item 24D holds 37236 with any modifier, and Item 24G holds 1. The add-on goes on the next line with units equal to the extra arteries, up to the MUE of 2. With a 000 global, chapter 12 section 40.2 says modifiers 58, 78 and 79 are written for 10-day and 90-day codes, and only 22 and 25 reach zero-day codes. A repeat stent on a later date is a new service on its own line.
Assistant indicator 0 means an assistant claim is denied unless the notes show medical necessity. Approval requests go through our prior authorization team.
How Do the Stent Code and Its Add-On Appear on the Claim?
An artery stent is one line with 37236 in Item 24D, 1 unit in Item 24G and a pointer in Item 24E to the vascular diagnosis, such as atherosclerosis of the leg arteries. Another vessel treated at the same session uses the add-on line, not a second 37236. Keep the vessel names in the note so each line can be traced.
On a hospital outpatient bill, the revenue code is in FL 42, 37236 in FL 44, the date in FL 45 and units in FL 46.
RVU26D gives 37236 status A and a 000 global, and the MUE table allows 1 per date with indicator 2.
Example: A patient with claudication has a stent in the right superficial femoral artery on 10/15. The line is 37236 RT, pointer A (I70.211), 1 unit, $1,150.00. A second 37236 line for the same vessel draws CO-151.
Why Do 37236 Claims Deny?
| CARC | What X12 says | What usually triggers it on a stent claim |
|---|---|---|
| 97 | The benefit for this service is included in the payment/allowance for another service/procedure that has already been adjudicated | Angiogram, catheter placement or imaging billed on top |
| 151 | Payment adjusted because the payer deems the information submitted does not support this many/frequency of services | 37236 on two lines for two arteries instead of 37237 |
| 4 | The procedure code is inconsistent with the modifier used | 59 or XU on a service the descriptor already includes |
| 197 | Precertification/authorization/notification/pre-treatment absent | Elective stent without an approval number |
If these denials keep coming back, our denial management team can work them.
Related Codes
- Physician Fee Schedule relative value files, RVU26D (October 2026) · CMS
- Medicare NCCI Medically Unlikely Edits, practitioner and outpatient hospital tables effective 10-01-2026 · CMS
- NCCI Policy Manual for Medicare Services, 2026 · CMS
- Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 12: Physicians/Nonphysician Practitioners · CMS
- Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 26: Completing and Processing Form CMS-1500 Data Set · CMS
- Claim Adjustment Reason Codes · X12
- Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 25: Completing and Processing the Form CMS-1450 Data Set · CMS
We check every rule, code and deadline against the official source. See our editorial policy.
Common Questions
Straight answers from the team that does the work.
Ask a billing lead directly. A 20-minute call, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Eastern.
01How do I bill an arterial stent with angioplasty?
Report the stent code and not a balloon code for the same artery where the CPT instruction says angioplasty is included. CMS bases the MUE of 1 for 37236 on that code descriptor and CPT instruction. Read the instruction in your codebook, and bill one stent code per artery.
02How do I bill a stent in a second artery?
Bill 37237 once for the second artery and once more for a third. Do not repeat 37236. The add-on has a MUE of 2 with indicator 3, so a third artery is allowed with documentation, while 37236 is capped at 1 with an absolute indicator that cannot be overridden.
03Why does 37236 pay so differently in an office than a hospital?
The October 2026 fee schedule file gives 37236 a facility total of 11.68 RVUs and a non-facility total of 77.82. The difference is practice expense. Place of service 11 is non-facility and 21, 22 and 24 are facility in Claims Processing Manual chapter 26, so the code must match the site.
04Can an assistant surgeon bill with 37236?
Only with documentation. The assistant-at-surgery indicator is 0, which RVU26D defines as a payment restriction that applies unless supporting documentation is submitted to establish medical necessity. Co-surgeon and team surgery indicators are both 0 for this code, so modifiers 62 and 66 do not apply to it either.
05Are the old leg-artery stent codes still valid?
No. NCCI Policy Manual chapter V says 37220 to 37235 were deleted on January 1, 2026, and RVU26D has no rows for them. NCCI now describes lower extremity endovascular revascularization as 37254 to 37299. Old claim templates and charge masters need review.
Stent Claims Paying at the Wrong Rate?
We check the place of service, the add-on count and any 59 line against the procedure note before the claim goes out.