CPT 37256: Iliac Artery Angioplasty for Complex Occlusion

Medicare pays $2525 on average nationally for this procedure.

CPT code 37256 describes percutaneous or open angioplasty (balloon dilation) of a complex occlusive lesion in an initial iliac artery (common, internal, or external iliac), including all vascular access, catheterization, lesion crossing, and imaging guidance required to complete the procedure; service type: endovascular peripheral arterial intervention; typical site of service: outpatient interventional radiology or inpatient vascular surgery/interventional suite depending on clinical setting.

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 37256 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 37256 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Explore openpayer tools

View all tools

CPT 37256: Iliac Artery Angioplasty for Complex Occlusion

Medicare pays $2525 on average nationally for this procedure.

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 37256 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 37256 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 68-year-old patient with progressive left lower-extremity claudication and diminished pedal pulses is evaluated for peripheral arterial disease. Noninvasive vascular testing (ankle-brachial index, duplex ultrasound) suggests an inflow lesion in the left iliac artery. Cross-sectional imaging or diagnostic peripheral angiography confirms a high-grade stenosis with near-occlusion of the left external iliac artery. The vascular interventionalist schedules a percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the iliac occlusion with possible stent placement.

The patient arrives to an outpatient endovascular suite or hospital catheterization laboratory after pre-procedure evaluation (consent, medication reconciliation, anticoagulation management). Under conscious sedation or general anesthesia, vascular access is obtained (common femoral or brachial access). Catheter-based angiography is performed to define the lesion. Endovascular crossing techniques are used to traverse the occlusion, and balloons are used for balloon angioplasty of the complex iliac lesion. Imaging guidance (fluoroscopy and angiographic runs) and hemostasis at access completion are included. The procedure may be converted to open surgical exposure if needed.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`37256`	Transluminal balloon angioplasty, complex occlusion, initial vessel; iliac vascular territory	Primary procedure for angioplasty of a complex iliac occlusion.
`36245`	Selective catheter placement, arterial system; each first order thoracic, abdominal, or pelvic branch, unilateral	May be used for initial selective catheterization of the iliac arterial branch for diagnostic angiography prior to angioplasty.
`75630`	Angiography, abdominal aorta, iliac arteries, bilateral, with contrast and imaging	Often performed as diagnostic peripheral angiography to map inflow lesions before intervention.
`37257`	Transluminal balloon angioplasty, complex occlusion; each additional ipsilateral iliac artery	Billed when additional complex occlusions in the same iliac territory are treated in the same session.
`37184`	Introduction of catheter, arterial, diagnostic, or for intervention, with imaging guidance	Represents additional catheter-based access or interventions that may accompany iliac angioplasty.

Related Modifiers

5 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
32	Modifier 32 (Mandated Services) indicates that a CPT-coded service was required by a third party—such as an insurer, school, state agency, or court. The AMA defines it as denoting services mandated…	- Use Modifier 32 when a service or procedure was explicitly mandated by a third party (for example an insurer requiring a second opinion, a school requiring a sports physical, a state agency or…
57	CPT® modifier -57 (“Decision for Surgery”) is appended to an Evaluation and Management (E/M) service when that encounter results in the initial decision to perform a major surgery (a procedure with a…	- Use modifier 57 when an E/M service provided by the same provider (or same tax ID) on the day of or the day before a major surgical procedure (90‑day global period) results in the initial decision…
73	Modifier 73 indicates a facility-level outpatient hospital or ASC procedure that was discontinued after the patient was prepared and taken to the procedure/operating room but before any anesthesia…	- When to use: Apply CPT modifier 73 on the FACILITY (outpatient hospital or ASC) claim when the patient has been fully prepared and physically taken into the procedure/operating room but the…
51	Modifier –51 (Multiple Procedures) is used when the same provider performs multiple procedures in the same session to identify secondary, non‑exempt procedures and indicate payment reduction logic…	- Use modifier -51 when the same provider performs multiple distinct procedures during the same patient encounter: report the highest‑valued procedure first (no modifier) and append -51 to…
62	Modifier 62 indicates that two surgeons function as co‑surgeons, each performing distinct parts of the same primary surgical procedure. It is appended to the primary procedure code (and any…	- Use modifier -62 when two surgeons act as co‑surgeons (both primary surgeons) on a single definitive primary procedure, each performing distinct parts of the same surgical procedure (append -62 to…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208100000X	Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician	Physical medicine and rehabilitation, also referred to as rehabilitation medicine, is the medical specialty concerned with diagnosing, evaluating, and…
207P00000X	Emergency Medicine Physician	An emergency physician focuses on the immediate decision making and action necessary to prevent death or any further disability both in the pre-hospit…
2085R0203X	Therapeutic Radiology Physician	Therapeutic Radiology certificate name was changed to Radiation Oncology. Use Radiation Oncology.
273Y00000X	Rehabilitation Hospital Unit	In general, a distinct unit of a general acute care hospital that provides care encompassing a comprehensive array of restoration services for the dis…
2278E0002X	Emergency Care Certified Respiratory Therapist	The immediate availability of diagnostic and therapeutic cardiopulmonary services in the assessment and management of trauma victims, patients requiri…
2084P0802X	Addiction Psychiatry Physician	Addiction Psychiatry is a subspecialty of psychiatry that focuses on evaluation and treatment of individuals with alcohol, drug, or other substance-re…
364SN0800X	Neuroscience Clinical Nurse Specialist	Physician Assistants & Advanced Practice Nursing Providers · Clinical Nurse Specialist
2279P1005X	Pulmonary Rehabilitation Registered Respiratory Therapist	The respiratory therapist can assist the chronic pulmonary patient in returning to an optimal role in society by providing an effective program. It i…

CPT 37236: Arterial Stent Placement via Catheter

CPT-37237-ADD-ON-ENDOVASCULAR-STENT-PLACEMENT

CPT 37237: Endovascular Arterial Stent Placement, Add-On

CPT-37238-VENOUS-STENT-PLACEMENT-CATHETER

CPT 37238: Venous Stent Placement, Percutaneous or Open

CPT-37239-SECONDARY-VENOUS-STENT-INSERTION-ENDOVASCULAR

CPT 37239: Venous Stent Placement, Additional Vein

CPT-37246-PERCUTANEOUS-BALLOON-ANGIOPLASTY-ARTERY

CPT 37246: Percutaneous Balloon Angioplasty of Non-Coronary Artery

CPT-37247-TRANSLUMINAL-BALLOON-ANGIOPLASTY-ADDITIONAL-ARTERIES

CPT 37247: Transluminal Balloon Angioplasty, Additional Arteries

CPT-37249-PERIPHERAL-VEIN-BALLOON-ANGIOPLASTY-ADDITIONAL-VEINS

CPT 37249: Transluminal Balloon Angioplasty of Additional Veins

CPT-37254-ILIAC-ARTERY-ANGIOPLASTY-BALLOON-DILATION

CPT 37254: Iliac Artery Angioplasty (Balloon)

CPT-37259-ILIAC-ARTERY-STENT-PLACEMENT-ADDITIONAL-VESSEL

CPT 37259: Iliac Artery Stent Placement, Additional Vessel

CPT-37262-ILIAC-INTRAVASCULAR-LITHOTRIPSY-DURING-REVASCULARIZATION

CPT 37262: Intravascular Lithotripsy of One Iliac Artery

Showing 1–10 of 21

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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.

Explore openpayer tools

View all tools

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`37256`	Transluminal balloon angioplasty, complex occlusion, initial vessel; iliac vascular territory	Primary procedure for angioplasty of a complex iliac occlusion.
`36245`	Selective catheter placement, arterial system; each first order thoracic, abdominal, or pelvic branch, unilateral	May be used for initial selective catheterization of the iliac arterial branch for diagnostic angiography prior to angioplasty.
`75630`	Angiography, abdominal aorta, iliac arteries, bilateral, with contrast and imaging	Often performed as diagnostic peripheral angiography to map inflow lesions before intervention.
`37257`	Transluminal balloon angioplasty, complex occlusion; each additional ipsilateral iliac artery	Billed when additional complex occlusions in the same iliac territory are treated in the same session.
`37184`	Introduction of catheter, arterial, diagnostic, or for intervention, with imaging guidance	Represents additional catheter-based access or interventions that may accompany iliac angioplasty.

Related Modifiers

5 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
32	Modifier 32 (Mandated Services) indicates that a CPT-coded service was required by a third party—such as an insurer, school, state agency, or court. The AMA defines it as denoting services mandated…	- Use Modifier 32 when a service or procedure was explicitly mandated by a third party (for example an insurer requiring a second opinion, a school requiring a sports physical, a state agency or…
57	CPT® modifier -57 (“Decision for Surgery”) is appended to an Evaluation and Management (E/M) service when that encounter results in the initial decision to perform a major surgery (a procedure with a…	- Use modifier 57 when an E/M service provided by the same provider (or same tax ID) on the day of or the day before a major surgical procedure (90‑day global period) results in the initial decision…
73	Modifier 73 indicates a facility-level outpatient hospital or ASC procedure that was discontinued after the patient was prepared and taken to the procedure/operating room but before any anesthesia…	- When to use: Apply CPT modifier 73 on the FACILITY (outpatient hospital or ASC) claim when the patient has been fully prepared and physically taken into the procedure/operating room but the…
51	Modifier –51 (Multiple Procedures) is used when the same provider performs multiple procedures in the same session to identify secondary, non‑exempt procedures and indicate payment reduction logic…	- Use modifier -51 when the same provider performs multiple distinct procedures during the same patient encounter: report the highest‑valued procedure first (no modifier) and append -51 to…
62	Modifier 62 indicates that two surgeons function as co‑surgeons, each performing distinct parts of the same primary surgical procedure. It is appended to the primary procedure code (and any…	- Use modifier -62 when two surgeons act as co‑surgeons (both primary surgeons) on a single definitive primary procedure, each performing distinct parts of the same surgical procedure (append -62 to…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208100000X	Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician	Physical medicine and rehabilitation, also referred to as rehabilitation medicine, is the medical specialty concerned with diagnosing, evaluating, and…
207P00000X	Emergency Medicine Physician	An emergency physician focuses on the immediate decision making and action necessary to prevent death or any further disability both in the pre-hospit…
2085R0203X	Therapeutic Radiology Physician	Therapeutic Radiology certificate name was changed to Radiation Oncology. Use Radiation Oncology.
273Y00000X	Rehabilitation Hospital Unit	In general, a distinct unit of a general acute care hospital that provides care encompassing a comprehensive array of restoration services for the dis…
2278E0002X	Emergency Care Certified Respiratory Therapist	The immediate availability of diagnostic and therapeutic cardiopulmonary services in the assessment and management of trauma victims, patients requiri…
2084P0802X	Addiction Psychiatry Physician	Addiction Psychiatry is a subspecialty of psychiatry that focuses on evaluation and treatment of individuals with alcohol, drug, or other substance-re…
364SN0800X	Neuroscience Clinical Nurse Specialist	Physician Assistants & Advanced Practice Nursing Providers · Clinical Nurse Specialist
2279P1005X	Pulmonary Rehabilitation Registered Respiratory Therapist	The respiratory therapist can assist the chronic pulmonary patient in returning to an optimal role in society by providing an effective program. It i…

CPT 37236: Arterial Stent Placement via Catheter

CPT-37237-ADD-ON-ENDOVASCULAR-STENT-PLACEMENT

CPT 37237: Endovascular Arterial Stent Placement, Add-On

CPT-37238-VENOUS-STENT-PLACEMENT-CATHETER

CPT 37238: Venous Stent Placement, Percutaneous or Open

CPT-37239-SECONDARY-VENOUS-STENT-INSERTION-ENDOVASCULAR

CPT 37239: Venous Stent Placement, Additional Vein

CPT-37246-PERCUTANEOUS-BALLOON-ANGIOPLASTY-ARTERY

CPT 37246: Percutaneous Balloon Angioplasty of Non-Coronary Artery

CPT-37247-TRANSLUMINAL-BALLOON-ANGIOPLASTY-ADDITIONAL-ARTERIES

CPT 37247: Transluminal Balloon Angioplasty, Additional Arteries

CPT-37249-PERIPHERAL-VEIN-BALLOON-ANGIOPLASTY-ADDITIONAL-VEINS

CPT 37249: Transluminal Balloon Angioplasty of Additional Veins

CPT-37254-ILIAC-ARTERY-ANGIOPLASTY-BALLOON-DILATION

CPT 37254: Iliac Artery Angioplasty (Balloon)

CPT-37259-ILIAC-ARTERY-STENT-PLACEMENT-ADDITIONAL-VESSEL

CPT 37259: Iliac Artery Stent Placement, Additional Vessel

CPT-37262-ILIAC-INTRAVASCULAR-LITHOTRIPSY-DURING-REVASCULARIZATION

CPT 37262: Intravascular Lithotripsy of One Iliac Artery

Showing 1–10 of 21

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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 37256: Iliac Artery Angioplasty for Complex Occlusion

Sign up for cpt 37256 policy alerts

OpenPayer

CPT 37256: Iliac Artery Angioplasty for Complex Occlusion

Sign up for cpt 37256 policy alerts

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

References

CPT 37256: Iliac Artery Angioplasty for Complex Occlusion

Sign up for cpt 37256 policy alerts

CPT 37256: Iliac Artery Angioplasty for Complex Occlusion

Sign up for cpt 37256 policy alerts

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

What clinical procedure and scope of service does CPT 37256 cover?

Which modifiers are relevant for billing CPT 37256 and when are they used?

What other CPT codes are commonly reported with 37256 during iliac interventions?

Which diagnoses are commonly associated with use of CPT 37256?

Which payers are referenced for CPT 37256 and does the page include reimbursement rates?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

What clinical procedure and scope of service does CPT 37256 cover?

Which modifiers are relevant for billing CPT 37256 and when are they used?

What other CPT codes are commonly reported with 37256 during iliac interventions?

Which diagnoses are commonly associated with use of CPT 37256?

Which payers are referenced for CPT 37256 and does the page include reimbursement rates?

References