Summary & Overview
CPT 34812: Femoral Artery Access for Endovascular Prosthesis Insertion
CPT code 34812 specifies surgical groin access to the femoral artery to insert an endovascular prosthesis performed in conjunction with a primary procedure. This service documents the vascular access and device placement required to deliver a tubelike prosthesis within a vessel and is reported separately alongside the primary operative code. Nationally, proper reporting of this code affects procedural attribution, facility and professional billing, and accurate capture of endovascular device utilization.
Key payers considered in this overview include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise explanation of clinical context for 34812, the typical site of service (operating room/procedure suite via groin/femoral access), and the service type (vascular access and endovascular prosthesis insertion as an adjunct to a primary procedure). The publication covers billing and coding considerations, common modifiers used with the service, and benchmarking and policy context where available. Data not available in the input will be noted as such.
This summary is intended for clinicians, coding professionals, and policy analysts seeking a clear national-level description of CPT code 34812, its clinical role during combined procedures, and where to look for further billing details and payer-specific guidance.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 34812 describes an incision in the groin down to the femoral artery to insert an endovascular prosthesis while performing a primary procedure, with continuation of that primary procedure afterwards. The entry involves surgically accessing the femoral artery to place a tubelike endovascular device within a vessel as part of the same operative session.
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Service type: Vascular access and endovascular prosthesis insertion performed as an adjunct during another primary surgical procedure
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Typical site of service: Operating room or procedure suite with access via the groin/femoral artery
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 72-year-old male with symptomatic infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is scheduled for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Under general anesthesia in an operating room or hybrid angiography suite, the vascular surgeon makes a groin incision to expose the common femoral artery, obtains proximal and distal control, and places vascular sheaths to deliver an endovascular prosthesis (stent graft) into the aortic lumen. The femoral artery exposure is performed to facilitate safe device introduction and may be performed while the team is concurrently performing the primary EVAR procedure. Typical steps include groin incision, dissection to the common femoral artery, purse-string or vessel control, insertion of introducer sheath, fluoroscopic guidance for endograft deployment, and closure of the arteriotomy. Post-procedure care includes hemodynamic monitoring, vascular checks of the extremity, and observation in a post-anesthesia care unit or step-down setting. Typical site of service: operating room or hybrid endovascular suite. Service type: surgical, vascular endovascular access performed as an adjunct to a primary endovascular procedure.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when reporting only the physician’s professional component for services that have technical and professional components, if applicable to ancillary imaging or interpretation associated with the procedure. |