Summary & Overview
CPT 37244: Vascular Occlusion for Hemorrhage or Extravasation
CPT code 37244 covers endovascular procedures in which a physician intentionally partially or completely occludes blood flow in a target vascular area to control hemorrhage or extravasation. This intervention is central to acute bleeding management across trauma, surgical, and interventional radiology settings and carries significance for hospital throughput, resource utilization, and clinical outcomes nationally. Key payers included in the analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the code’s clinical intent and service context, typical sites of service, and common payer coverage considerations. The publication highlights benchmarking metrics where available, notes common billing and documentation themes tied to endovascular hemorrhage control, and summarizes relevant policy or reimbursement updates affecting use of the code. The content provides clinicians, billing professionals, and health policy stakeholders with the clinical framing and operational context necessary to understand how CPT code 37244 fits into acute vascular care pathways and hospital billing workflows. Data not available in the input is noted where specific reimbursement rates, associated taxonomies, and ICD-10 pairings would normally appear.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 37244 describes a procedure in which the physician partially or completely blocks vascular blood flow in a target area to control hemorrhage or extravasation. The service involves targeted vascular occlusion techniques performed by an interventionalist.
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Service type: Vascular occlusion / endovascular hemorrhage control
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Typical site of service: Hospital inpatient or outpatient interventional radiology suite; may also be performed in hybrid operating rooms when endovascular control of bleeding is required.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult presenting with acute arterial or venous hemorrhage or contrast extravasation after trauma, surgical complication, or tumor erosion. The interventional radiology team evaluates the patient in the emergency department or inpatient setting after stabilization. Imaging (angiography, CT angiography) identifies the bleeding vessel. The physician performs a targeted endovascular embolization or occlusion using coils, particles, liquid embolic agents, or plugs to partially or completely block blood flow to the target area to control hemorrhage or stop contrast extravasation. The procedure is commonly performed in an angiography suite or hybrid operating room under fluoroscopic guidance with conscious sedation or general anesthesia. Post-procedure monitoring occurs in a recovery unit or intensive care unit depending on hemodynamic status. Documentation includes indication, vascular access site, target vessel(s), embolic materials used, degree of occlusion achieved, complications, and specific procedural time elements for billing and quality reporting.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | When reporting only the physician component of a service with a split between professional and technical components. |
50 |