CPT 01936: Anesthesia for Percutaneous Image-Guided Vascular Procedure

CPT code 01936 was an anesthesia code associated with percutaneous image-guided vascular procedures and is listed as deleted effective Jan. 1, 2022. Nationally, changes to anesthesia coding such as deletions can affect billing workflows, prior authorization processes, and how payers classify anesthesiology services for image-guided interventions. This summary outlines the code status, the major payers covered in the analysis, and the practical context for clinicians, coders, and health system administrators.

Key payers included in the coverage review are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find concise information on the clinical context of the deleted code, applicable service settings, and linked anesthesia procedure families. The publication also highlights related anesthesia CPT codes that remain in use for percutaneous image-guided spine and interventional procedures, providing billing teams with direction on where to look for alternative coding pathways.

The piece covers: the deletion status and effective date, the clinical scenarios tied to the former code, typical sites of service, and where this code fit within the broader anesthesia coding landscape. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 01936 is listed as Deleted effective Jan. 1, 2022. The code formerly described anesthesia services related to percutaneous image-guided procedures; based on that description, the service type is anesthesia for image-guided endovascular or percutaneous vascular procedures. The typical site of service for these procedures is an inpatient or outpatient surgical or interventional radiology setting where image-guided vascular interventions are performed.

Data not available in the input.

National Reimbursement Benchmarks

BUCA (average commercial) sits well above other commercial payers with a mean of $331.20, reflecting a generally higher reimbursing cohort. Blue Cross Blue Shield is centered around the $262.60 mean with tight central tendency, while Cigna exhibits a substantially higher mean at $720.30 driven by a high-end distribution. UnitedHealth Group reports a much lower mean of $79.50, indicating a distinct low-paying segment among the four payers.

Measuring dispersion as P75 minus P25 shows that UnitedHealth Group has the widest central spread at $77.50 ($101.70 - $52.00), signaling greater variability in allowed amounts. Cigna’s central spread is $95.20 ($793.30 - $698.10), the widest absolute dollar gap, while Blue Cross Blue Shield is the tightest with essentially no interquartile spread ($265.00 - $265.00 = $0.00). BUCA’s interquartile gap is $36.30 ($356.30 - $320.00), indicating moderate variability around its higher mean.

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CPT 01936: Anesthesia for Percutaneous Image-Guided Vascular Procedure

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Billing Code Overview

Data not available in the input.

National Reimbursement Benchmarks

National Payer Mean Reimbursement Rates

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is an older adult with known peripheral artery disease presenting for a percutaneous lower extremity vascular intervention (eg, diagnostic angiography, angioplasty, or atherectomy) to treat critical limb ischemia or claudication. The patient often has comorbid diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease and presents with progressive exertional leg pain or rest pain, nonhealing foot ulceration, or acute ischemic changes. The interventional radiology or vascular surgery team performs image‑guided endovascular access and intervention in an angiography suite or hybrid operating room. Anesthesiology provides monitored anesthesia care or general anesthesia depending on patient comorbidity, procedural complexity, and anticipated pain control needs. Preoperative evaluation includes review of vascular imaging, anticoagulation plan, and optimization of cardiopulmonary status. Intraoperative management includes vascular access, hemodynamic monitoring, sedation or general anesthesia, and coordination with the proceduralist for contrast administration and endovascular device use. Postprocedure care includes vascular assessment of pulses and perfusion, monitoring for access‑site bleeding or hematoma, pain control, and instructions for anticoagulation and wound care. This CPT descriptor was deleted effective Jan. 1, 2022; similar anesthesia services continue to be reported using current anesthesia CPT codes appropriate to the specific endovascular procedure and site of service.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the anesthesia service is substantially greater in scope, time, or intensity than typical for comparable endovascular procedures.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is administered for a procedure that is normally performed with local or regional anesthesia due to patient factors or procedure complexity.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the planned anesthesia service is partially reduced or not completed as planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the anesthesia service is discontinued due to patient instability or other intraoperative complication before completion of the planned endovascular procedure.
`54`	Surgical care only	Use when the anesthesiologist provides only intraoperative anesthesia services and not preoperative or postoperative care (rare for anesthesia billing but used in multi‑provider scenarios).
`55`	Postoperative management only	Use when the anesthesiologist provides only postoperative pain management or critical care related to the procedure.
`56`	Preoperative management only	Use when the anesthesiologist provides only preoperative evaluation and optimization without intraoperative care.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use if two qualified anesthesiology professionals share complex intraoperative responsibilities for a high‑risk endovascular case (applies more to surgical specialties but included per input modifiers).
`AA`	Anesthesia services performed personally by anesthesiologist	Use when an individual anesthesiologist personally furnishes the anesthesia service.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services for surgical assistance	Use when an advanced practice clinician assists in anesthesia management as permitted by payer policy (note: `AS` is typically for assistant at surgery; inclusion reflects provided modifier list).
`CQ`	Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) by CRNA	Use when a certified registered nurse anesthetist provides MAC for the endovascular procedure.
`QK`	Medical direction of two, three, or four concurrent anesthesia procedures involving qualified individuals	Use when an anesthesiologist medically directs multiple concurrent endovascular anesthesia services.
`QX`	CRNA service with medical direction by physician	Use when a CRNA performs the anesthesia with medical direction by an anesthesiologist.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207L00000X`	Anesthesiology	Anesthesiologists provide preoperative evaluation, intraoperative anesthesia, and postoperative management for complex endovascular procedures.
`207RA0000X`	Critical Care Medicine Physician	Critical care physicians may be involved when procedures are performed on hemodynamically unstable patients or when postoperative critical care is required.
`367H00000X`	Anesthesiologist Assistant	Anesthesiologist assistants work under anesthesiologist supervision to deliver intraoperative anesthesia care in the angiography suite or hybrid OR.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`I70.203`	Unspecified atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities, bilateral legs	Atherosclerotic disease causing limb ischemia; common indication for diagnostic angiography and endovascular intervention.
`I73.9`	Peripheral vascular disease, unspecified	Broad designation for peripheral arterial disease prompting vascular assessment and possible intervention.
`I74.3`	Embolism and thrombosis of arteries of the lower extremities	Acute arterial occlusion that may require urgent endovascular therapy under anesthesia.
`I70.213`	Atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities with intermittent claudication, bilateral legs	Symptomatic PAD with exertional leg pain indicating need for revascularization procedures.
`I70.293`	Other atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities, bilateral legs	Atypical or specified atherosclerotic presentations necessitating imaging and possible intervention.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`01937`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image‑guided procedures on the spine or spinal cord (diagnostic)	Related type of anesthesia service for percutaneous, image‑guided procedures; included for cross‑reference of anesthesia code families.
`01938`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image‑guided procedures on the spine or spinal cord (therapeutic)	Related anesthesia code for therapeutic percutaneous image‑guided procedures; helpful for mapping deleted code to current equivalents.
`01939`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image‑guided destruction procedures by neurolytic agent on the spine or spinal cord	Related anesthesia descriptor for neurolytic destruction procedures; provides context for anesthesia reporting of image‑guided interventions.
`01940`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image‑guided destruction procedures by neurolytic agent on the spine or spinal cord	Companion code to `01939` for additional related image‑guided destruction procedures.
`01941`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image‑guided neuromodulation or intravertebral procedures (eg, kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty) on the spine or spinal cord	Related anesthesia code for percutaneous neuromodulation/intravertebral procedures; analogous in reporting for image‑guided interventions.
`01942`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image‑guided neuromodulation or intravertebral procedures (eg, kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty) on the spine or spinal cord	Companion code to `01941` for similar percutaneous image‑guided interventions.

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the anesthesia service is substantially greater in scope, time, or intensity than typical for comparable endovascular procedures.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is administered for a procedure that is normally performed with local or regional anesthesia due to patient factors or procedure complexity.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the planned anesthesia service is partially reduced or not completed as planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the anesthesia service is discontinued due to patient instability or other intraoperative complication before completion of the planned endovascular procedure.
`54`	Surgical care only	Use when the anesthesiologist provides only intraoperative anesthesia services and not preoperative or postoperative care (rare for anesthesia billing but used in multi‑provider scenarios).
`55`	Postoperative management only	Use when the anesthesiologist provides only postoperative pain management or critical care related to the procedure.
`56`	Preoperative management only	Use when the anesthesiologist provides only preoperative evaluation and optimization without intraoperative care.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use if two qualified anesthesiology professionals share complex intraoperative responsibilities for a high‑risk endovascular case (applies more to surgical specialties but included per input modifiers).
`AA`	Anesthesia services performed personally by anesthesiologist	Use when an individual anesthesiologist personally furnishes the anesthesia service.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services for surgical assistance	Use when an advanced practice clinician assists in anesthesia management as permitted by payer policy (note: `AS` is typically for assistant at surgery; inclusion reflects provided modifier list).
`CQ`	Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) by CRNA	Use when a certified registered nurse anesthetist provides MAC for the endovascular procedure.
`QK`	Medical direction of two, three, or four concurrent anesthesia procedures involving qualified individuals	Use when an anesthesiologist medically directs multiple concurrent endovascular anesthesia services.
`QX`	CRNA service with medical direction by physician	Use when a CRNA performs the anesthesia with medical direction by an anesthesiologist.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207L00000X`	Anesthesiology	Anesthesiologists provide preoperative evaluation, intraoperative anesthesia, and postoperative management for complex endovascular procedures.
`207RA0000X`	Critical Care Medicine Physician	Critical care physicians may be involved when procedures are performed on hemodynamically unstable patients or when postoperative critical care is required.
`367H00000X`	Anesthesiologist Assistant	Anesthesiologist assistants work under anesthesiologist supervision to deliver intraoperative anesthesia care in the angiography suite or hybrid OR.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`I70.203`	Unspecified atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities, bilateral legs	Atherosclerotic disease causing limb ischemia; common indication for diagnostic angiography and endovascular intervention.
`I73.9`	Peripheral vascular disease, unspecified	Broad designation for peripheral arterial disease prompting vascular assessment and possible intervention.
`I74.3`	Embolism and thrombosis of arteries of the lower extremities	Acute arterial occlusion that may require urgent endovascular therapy under anesthesia.
`I70.213`	Atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities with intermittent claudication, bilateral legs	Symptomatic PAD with exertional leg pain indicating need for revascularization procedures.
`I70.293`	Other atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities, bilateral legs	Atypical or specified atherosclerotic presentations necessitating imaging and possible intervention.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`01937`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image‑guided procedures on the spine or spinal cord (diagnostic)	Related type of anesthesia service for percutaneous, image‑guided procedures; included for cross‑reference of anesthesia code families.
`01938`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image‑guided procedures on the spine or spinal cord (therapeutic)	Related anesthesia code for therapeutic percutaneous image‑guided procedures; helpful for mapping deleted code to current equivalents.
`01939`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image‑guided destruction procedures by neurolytic agent on the spine or spinal cord	Related anesthesia descriptor for neurolytic destruction procedures; provides context for anesthesia reporting of image‑guided interventions.
`01940`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image‑guided destruction procedures by neurolytic agent on the spine or spinal cord	Companion code to `01939` for additional related image‑guided destruction procedures.
`01941`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image‑guided neuromodulation or intravertebral procedures (eg, kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty) on the spine or spinal cord	Related anesthesia code for percutaneous neuromodulation/intravertebral procedures; analogous in reporting for image‑guided interventions.
`01942`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image‑guided neuromodulation or intravertebral procedures (eg, kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty) on the spine or spinal cord	Companion code to `01941` for similar percutaneous image‑guided interventions.

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.