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36903 Intro cath dialysis circuit

What 36903 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Intro cath dialysis circuit.

Full CPT long descriptions are licensed by the American Medical Association and are not published on this site; the short descriptor above is the one CMS prints in its own fee schedule file. See About CPT.

Medicare payment for 36903 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)6.23136.521.03143.78$4,802.38
Facility (hospital, ASC)6.231.051.038.31$277.56

National rates: total RVUs x the CY2026 conversion factor of 33.4009 (non-QP), before geographic adjustment. Actual Medicare payment is 80% of the rate shown after the deductible; the patient or secondary payer owes the 20% coinsurance.


Status: Active - payable under the Physician Fee Schedule. Global period: Global concept does not apply (endoscopic or minor procedure: global period is the day of the procedure).

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Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)

Medicare caps 36903 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 3 - date of service edit (clinical): units above the MUE may pay with documentation on appeal), rationale: Nature of Service/Procedure. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.

Billed with 36903? These codes are bundled into it

36903 is a Column 1 code in 263 active NCCI PTP edits. When one of these Column 2 codes is reported on the same date of service, it is denied as bundled - unless the edit's modifier indicator is 1 and documentation supports a distinct service with an NCCI-associated modifier.

Column 2 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
01916Anes dx arteriography/vngrph0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
01924Anes ther ivntl rad artl nos0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
01925Anes ivntl rad artl crtd/c0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
01926Anes ivntl rad icr icar/aort0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
01930Anes ther ivntl rad ven nos1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0213TNjx paravert w/us cer/thor0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
0216TNjx paravert w/us lumb/sac0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
0596TTemp fml iu vlv-pmp 1st insj1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0597TTemp fml iu valve-pmp rplcmt1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0645TTcat impltj c sins rdctj dev1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0708TId ca immntx prep & 1st njx1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0709TId ca immntx each addl njx1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0903TEcg alg 12 lead reduced i&r1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0904TEcg alg 12 ld rdcd trcg only1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0905TEcg alg 12 ld rdcd i&r only1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12001Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trnk 2.5cm/<1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12002Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trnk2.6-7.5cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12004Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trk7.6-12.5cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12005Rpr s/n/a/gen/trk12.6-20.0cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12006Rpr s/n/a/gen/trk20.1-30.0cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12007Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trnk >30.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12011Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 2.5 cm/<1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12013Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 2.6-5.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12014Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 5.1-7.5 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12015Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 7.6-12.5 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12016Rpr fe/e/en/l/m 12.6-20.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12017Rpr fe/e/en/l/m 20.1-30.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12018Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m >30.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12020Tx supfc wnd dehsn smpl clsr1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12021Tx supfc wnd dehsn w/packing1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair

Showing 30 of 263 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.

36903 is bundled into these codes

36903 appears as a Column 2 code in 28 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 36903 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
36818Av fuse uppr arm cephalic1Check pair
36819Av fuse uppr arm basilic1Check pair
36820Av fusion/forearm vein1Check pair
36821Av fusion direct any site1Check pair
36823Insertion of cannula(s)1Check pair
36825Artery-vein autograft1Check pair
36830Artery-vein nonautograft1Check pair
36831Open thrombect av fistula1Check pair
36836Prq av fstl crtj uxtr 1 acs0Check pair
36837Prq av fstl crt uxtr sep acs1Check pair
36860External cannula declotting1Check pair
36861Cannula declotting1Check pair
36904Thrmbc/nfs dialysis circuit1Check pair
36905Thrmbc/nfs dialysis circuit1Check pair
36906Thrmbc/nfs dialysis circuit1Check pair

Data: CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule RVU file (October release, RVU26D) and Medicare NCCI PTP practitioner edits v32.3 (2026 Q4). Verify against the official files before billing or contracting decisions.