Summary & Overview
CPT 34813: Femoral-to-Femoral Graft, Add-On During Endovascular Aortic Repair
CPT code 34813 is an add–on surgical code for placement of a femoral-to-femoral graft performed at the same session as a separately reportable endovascular repair of an aortic aneurysm. Nationally, this code matters because it identifies additional operative work and resource use tied to complex endovascular aortic aneurysm repair procedures and influences facility and professional billing for concurrent vascular reconstruction. Key payers included in the analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.
Readers will learn what CPT code 34813 represents, the clinical context in which it is reported, and the typical sites of service where the procedure occurs. The publication provides benchmarks and coverage context relevant to payers listed above, highlights policy and coding considerations that affect claim reporting for add–on vascular procedures, and explains how the code interacts with endovascular aortic aneurysm repair reporting. Data not available in the input are noted where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 34813 describes an add–on vascular graft procedure in which a graft is placed from one femoral artery to the other during the same operative session as a separately reportable endovascular repair of an aortic aneurysm. This code is intended to capture the additional operative work required to establish femoral-to-femoral arterial bypass in conjunction with aortic endovascular aneurysm repair.
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Service type: Surgical add-on vascular bypass procedure performed during endovascular aortic aneurysm repair
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Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or endovascular suite during the same session as endovascular aortic aneurysm repair
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 72-year-old male with a 5.8 cm infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and bilateral severe aortoiliac occlusive disease presents for elective endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). During the planned endovascular repair of the aneurysm, the operating vascular surgeon identifies inadequate femoral artery inflow to the contralateral limb due to chronic iliac/femoral disease. At the same operative session, the surgeon performs a femoro‑femoral bypass graft to establish inflow from the ipsilateral femoral artery to the contralateral femoral artery, enabling successful completion of the endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.
The clinical workflow includes preoperative imaging (CT angiography) to plan EVAR, intraoperative vascular access via a common femoral artery, deployment of the aortic endograft, assessment of limb perfusion, and placement of the femoro‑femoral graft as an add‑on procedure when required. Postoperative care includes vascular monitoring, duplex ultrasound or CT angiography to confirm graft and endograft patency, wound care, and routine discharge planning with follow‑up surveillance imaging.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00 | No modifier; standard listing | Use when no qualifying modifier applies to the service |
11 |