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CPT 37215: Carotid Artery Stent Placement with Embolic Protection

CPT code 37215 describes endovascular or open placement of an intravascular stent in a cervical carotid artery with concurrent placement of an embolic protection device, often with adjunct angioplasty to treat carotid artery stenosis. This intervention is a key therapeutic option to reduce stroke risk in patients with significant carotid narrowing and is commonly billed in hospital-based interventional radiology, vascular surgery, or catheterization settings. Nationally, utilization and reimbursement for carotid stenting are relevant to health plans, Medicare policy, and hospital finance because the procedure is resource-intensive and associated with distinct device and imaging costs.

This publication examines coverage and payment considerations for major national payers: Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of clinical context, typical sites of service, common billing nuances, and comparative benchmarks where available. The analysis highlights payer coverage patterns, credentialing and site-of-service implications, and coding considerations that affect payment variability. Data not available in the input are noted where applicable. The content is intended for clinicians, billing professionals, and policy analysts seeking a concise reference on coding, billing context, and payer coverage considerations for carotid stent procedures.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 37215 describes placement of an intravascular stent in a cervical carotid artery with imaging guidance. The procedure includes placement of an embolic protection device prior to stent deployment and may include angioplasty (removal or compression of plaque) as part of treatment for carotid artery stenosis. The provider confirms device placement with imaging or angiography.

Service type: Endovascular carotid stent placement with embolic protection (may be percutaneous or via open incision)
Typical site of service: Hospital inpatient or outpatient interventional radiology/vascular surgery suite or catheterization lab

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CPT 37215: Carotid Artery Stent Placement with Embolic Protection

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Get alerted when payer policies referencing 37215 are released or updated.

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Endovascular carotid stent placement with embolic protection (may be percutaneous or via open incision)
Typical site of service: Hospital inpatient or outpatient interventional radiology/vascular surgery suite or catheterization lab

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 72-year-old male with symptomatic high-grade left internal carotid artery stenosis presents with transient ischemic attacks characterized by brief right-sided weakness and aphasia. After vascular surgery and neurology evaluation including carotid duplex ultrasound and CT angiography confirming 80% focal stenosis of the left cervical internal carotid artery, the patient is scheduled for carotid artery stenting with embolic protection. The procedure is performed in a hospital catheterization laboratory or hybrid operating room under conscious sedation or general anesthesia. Vascular access is obtained percutaneously via the common femoral artery (or via radial or direct carotid exposure if clinically indicated). An embolic protection device is placed distal to the stenosis, and angioplasty with balloon dilation and deployment of an intravascular stent in the cervical carotid artery is performed under fluoroscopic imaging with digital subtraction angiography to confirm position and flow restoration. Post‑procedure, the patient is monitored in a post-anesthesia care unit or step-down unit with neurologic checks, vascular access site assessment, and dual antiplatelet therapy initiated per the treating physician’s protocol.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the physician’s interpretation/reading of imaging or radiologic supervision when the technical component is billed separately.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when bilateral carotid stenting is performed during the same operative session and payer accepts bilateral modifier for this service.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when additional unrelated procedures are performed in the same operative session in addition to the carotid stent.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the service is partially reduced or not completed as planned (e.g., attempted stent deployment aborted due to anatomy).
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is terminated after induction of anesthesia due to extenuating circumstances before completion.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use when another procedure is performed on a separate vascular territory or at a separate session and needs separation from the carotid stent for correct coding.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons of different specialties work together as primary surgeons during the procedure.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Use when the same physician repeats the procedure later the same day (note: `76` is not in the provided list; use `79` for unrelated same-day).
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during the postoperative period	Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period of the carotid stent.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon actively assists during the operative portion.
`62`	Co-surgeon	(duplicate entry avoided in table above)
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist services for assistant at surgery	Use when advanced practice clinicians bill their participation per payer policy.
`LT`	Left side	Use to indicate the left-sided procedure when laterality is required.
`RT`	Right side	Use to indicate the right-sided procedure when laterality is required.
`QS`	Monitored anesthesia care (not in provided list)	Not applicable here.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`208BF0000X`	Vascular Surgery	Primary specialty performing carotid stenting in open or hybrid approaches.
`207RG0400X`	Interventional Cardiology	Performs percutaneous carotid stenting in catheterization labs.
`2084P0800X`	Interventional Radiology	Image-guided endovascular stent placement and embolic protection device deployment.
`207RC0000X`	Neurology (Vascular Neurology)	Provides peri-procedural neurologic assessment and stroke management.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`I65.21`	Occlusion and stenosis of left carotid artery	Direct indication for carotid stenting when causing symptomatic cerebral ischemia.
`I65.22`	Occlusion and stenosis of right carotid artery	Right-sided carotid disease requiring stenting when symptomatic or high-risk.
`I63.9`	Cerebral infarction, unspecified	Represents ischemic stroke related to carotid atherosclerotic disease prompting revascularization.
`G45.9`	Transient ischemic attack, unspecified	TIAs are common indications for carotid revascularization including stenting.
`I70.0`	Atherosclerosis of aorta	Atherosclerotic disease context; systemic atherosclerosis often coexists with carotid stenosis.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`36215`	Selective catheter placement, carotid, cervical, unilateral, each additional branch, when performed	Commonly performed for diagnostic selective catheterization or to access branches during endovascular treatment prior to stent placement.
`36216`	Selective catheter placement, carotid, cervical, with embolization, when performed (note: use appropriate embolization code)	Performed when adjunctive embolization procedures are required; may be used if embolization of branch vessels is undertaken.
`92928`	Percutaneous transcatheter placement of intracoronary stent(s), with angioplasty when performed; initial vessel (used here only as analogous code)	Analogous to stent placement technique and device reporting; not specific to carotid but conceptually related intravascular stent deployment coding.
`75894`	Angiography, vascular, intraprocedural, radiological supervision and interpretation	Used to report the imaging supervision and interpretation associated with endovascular procedures such as carotid stent placement.
`37184`	Endovascular repair, open or percutaneous, other peripheral arteries, with stent graft	May be reported for peripheral arterial stent procedures in the same session if clinically indicated.

CPT 37191: Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement

CPT-37192-IVC-FILTER-REPOSITIONING-IMAGE-GUIDED

CPT 37192: Image-Guided Repositioning of IVC Filter

CPT-37193-IVC-FILTER-REMOVAL-PERCUTANEOUS

CPT 37193: Percutaneous Removal of Inferior Vena Cava Filter

CPT-37195-CEREBRAL-THROMBOLYTIC-INFUSION

CPT 37195: Cerebral Thrombolytic Infusion for Clot Dissolution

CPT-37197-PERCUTANEOUS-ENDOVASCULAR-FOREIGN-BODY-REMOVAL

CPT 37197: Percutaneous Endovascular Foreign Body Removal

CPT-37200-TRANSCATHETER-VASCULAR-BIOPSY

CPT 37200: Transcatheter Vascular Biopsy, Intravascular Tissue Sampling

CPT-37211-CATHETER-DIRECTED-THROMBOLYSIS-ARTERIAL

CPT 37211: Catheter-Directed Arterial Thrombolytic Infusion

CPT-37212-CATHETER-DIRECTED-THROMBOLYSIS-VENOUS

CPT 37212: Catheter-Directed Venous Thrombolysis

CPT-37213-CATHETER-DIRECTED-THROMBOLYTIC-INFUSION

CPT 37213: Catheter-Directed Thrombolytic Infusion

CPT-37214-CATHETER-DIRECTED-THROMBOLYTIC-INFUSION

CPT 37214: Catheter-Directed Thrombolytic Infusion

Showing 1–10 of 13

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

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

Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the physician’s interpretation/reading of imaging or radiologic supervision when the technical component is billed separately.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when bilateral carotid stenting is performed during the same operative session and payer accepts bilateral modifier for this service.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when additional unrelated procedures are performed in the same operative session in addition to the carotid stent.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the service is partially reduced or not completed as planned (e.g., attempted stent deployment aborted due to anatomy).
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is terminated after induction of anesthesia due to extenuating circumstances before completion.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use when another procedure is performed on a separate vascular territory or at a separate session and needs separation from the carotid stent for correct coding.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons of different specialties work together as primary surgeons during the procedure.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Use when the same physician repeats the procedure later the same day (note: `76` is not in the provided list; use `79` for unrelated same-day).
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during the postoperative period	Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period of the carotid stent.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon actively assists during the operative portion.
`62`	Co-surgeon	(duplicate entry avoided in table above)
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist services for assistant at surgery	Use when advanced practice clinicians bill their participation per payer policy.
`LT`	Left side	Use to indicate the left-sided procedure when laterality is required.
`RT`	Right side	Use to indicate the right-sided procedure when laterality is required.
`QS`	Monitored anesthesia care (not in provided list)	Not applicable here.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`208BF0000X`	Vascular Surgery	Primary specialty performing carotid stenting in open or hybrid approaches.
`207RG0400X`	Interventional Cardiology	Performs percutaneous carotid stenting in catheterization labs.
`2084P0800X`	Interventional Radiology	Image-guided endovascular stent placement and embolic protection device deployment.
`207RC0000X`	Neurology (Vascular Neurology)	Provides peri-procedural neurologic assessment and stroke management.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`I65.21`	Occlusion and stenosis of left carotid artery	Direct indication for carotid stenting when causing symptomatic cerebral ischemia.
`I65.22`	Occlusion and stenosis of right carotid artery	Right-sided carotid disease requiring stenting when symptomatic or high-risk.
`I63.9`	Cerebral infarction, unspecified	Represents ischemic stroke related to carotid atherosclerotic disease prompting revascularization.
`G45.9`	Transient ischemic attack, unspecified	TIAs are common indications for carotid revascularization including stenting.
`I70.0`	Atherosclerosis of aorta	Atherosclerotic disease context; systemic atherosclerosis often coexists with carotid stenosis.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`36215`	Selective catheter placement, carotid, cervical, unilateral, each additional branch, when performed	Commonly performed for diagnostic selective catheterization or to access branches during endovascular treatment prior to stent placement.
`36216`	Selective catheter placement, carotid, cervical, with embolization, when performed (note: use appropriate embolization code)	Performed when adjunctive embolization procedures are required; may be used if embolization of branch vessels is undertaken.
`92928`	Percutaneous transcatheter placement of intracoronary stent(s), with angioplasty when performed; initial vessel (used here only as analogous code)	Analogous to stent placement technique and device reporting; not specific to carotid but conceptually related intravascular stent deployment coding.
`75894`	Angiography, vascular, intraprocedural, radiological supervision and interpretation	Used to report the imaging supervision and interpretation associated with endovascular procedures such as carotid stent placement.
`37184`	Endovascular repair, open or percutaneous, other peripheral arteries, with stent graft	May be reported for peripheral arterial stent procedures in the same session if clinically indicated.

CPT 37191: Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement

CPT-37192-IVC-FILTER-REPOSITIONING-IMAGE-GUIDED

CPT 37192: Image-Guided Repositioning of IVC Filter

CPT-37193-IVC-FILTER-REMOVAL-PERCUTANEOUS

CPT 37193: Percutaneous Removal of Inferior Vena Cava Filter

CPT-37195-CEREBRAL-THROMBOLYTIC-INFUSION

CPT 37195: Cerebral Thrombolytic Infusion for Clot Dissolution

CPT-37197-PERCUTANEOUS-ENDOVASCULAR-FOREIGN-BODY-REMOVAL

CPT 37197: Percutaneous Endovascular Foreign Body Removal

CPT-37200-TRANSCATHETER-VASCULAR-BIOPSY

CPT 37200: Transcatheter Vascular Biopsy, Intravascular Tissue Sampling

CPT-37211-CATHETER-DIRECTED-THROMBOLYSIS-ARTERIAL

CPT 37211: Catheter-Directed Arterial Thrombolytic Infusion

CPT-37212-CATHETER-DIRECTED-THROMBOLYSIS-VENOUS

CPT 37212: Catheter-Directed Venous Thrombolysis

CPT-37213-CATHETER-DIRECTED-THROMBOLYTIC-INFUSION

CPT 37213: Catheter-Directed Thrombolytic Infusion

CPT-37214-CATHETER-DIRECTED-THROMBOLYTIC-INFUSION

CPT 37214: Catheter-Directed Thrombolytic Infusion

Showing 1–10 of 13

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

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

OpenPayer

CPT 37215: Carotid Artery Stent Placement with Embolic Protection

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Billing Code Overview

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OpenPayer

CPT 37215: Carotid Artery Stent Placement with Embolic Protection

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Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References