Summary & Overview

CPT 37267: Femoral and Popliteal Arterial Stent Placement

CPT code 37267 represents stent placement, with or without angioplasty, for a straightforward lesion in an initial vessel within the femoral and popliteal arterial territory. This procedure addresses peripheral arterial stenosis in the common femoral/profunda femoris or superficial femoral/popliteal segments and includes all access, catheterization, lesion crossing, and imaging guidance. The approach may be percutaneous or open, and the service commonly occurs in hospital interventional suites, operating rooms, or ambulatory surgery centers. Nationwide, peripheral arterial interventions are a key component of vascular care for symptomatic limb ischemia and claudication, and accurate coding affects procedural tracking, utilization assessment, and payment determination.

Key payers examined include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find benchmarks for utilization and coverage patterns, an overview of clinical context for femoropopliteal stent placement, and notes on coding and service-site implications. The publication summarizes how 37267 is applied in practice, where it sits within the peripheral vascular service line, and what to consider when aligning clinical documentation with procedural billing. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicare37267CPTperipheral-arterial-stentfemoropoplitealendovascularangioplastyinterventional-radiologyvascular-surgery

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 37267 describes stent placement in the femoral and popliteal vascular territory for a straightforward lesion in an initial vessel, and may include angioplasty. The procedure covers deployment of a small mesh tube to hold the artery open, with balloon expansion of a narrowed area if performed. The territory encompasses two vessel groups: the common femoral/profunda femoris and the superficial femoral/popliteal arteries. The service includes all access, catheterization, lesion crossing, and imaging guidance. The approach may be percutaneous or open.

Service type: Endovascular peripheral arterial stent placement (may include angioplasty)

Typical site of service: Hospital-based vascular interventional suite or operating room; outpatient ambulatory surgery center or interventional radiology suite

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 72-year-old patient with progressive right lower-extremity claudication attributable to a focal, short-length atherosclerotic stenosis of the superficial femoral artery presents for endovascular revascularization. Pre-procedure workup includes arterial duplex ultrasound demonstrating elevated peak systolic velocities in the femoropopliteal segment, ankle-brachial index (ABI) of 0.6 on the affected side, basic labs (CBC, BMP, coagulation profile), and discussion of risks and benefits. The interventional vascular team obtains informed consent and schedules the patient for angiography with possible percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stent placement.

On procedure day, conscious sedation or monitored anesthesia care is administered per institutional protocol. Vascular access is obtained percutaneously via the common femoral artery; diagnostic angiography defines lesion morphology and length. Lesion crossing is performed with guidewires and catheters; adjunctive balloon angioplasty may be used to pre-dilate the stenosis. A self-expanding or balloon-expandable stent is deployed in the targeted femoral or popliteal segment to restore luminal diameter and improve distal perfusion. The service includes all access, catheterization, lesion crossing, and imaging guidance. Post-deployment angiography confirms satisfactory stent position and flow; hemostasis is achieved via manual compression or closure device. The patient is observed in PACU with vascular checks and discharged the same day or admitted overnight for monitoring depending on comorbidities and recovery.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the physician interpretation component of imaging performed separately from technical services.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use if bilateral femoropopliteal stent placements are performed and payer requires bilateral modifier instead of separate line items.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use to indicate a separate and distinct procedure when other services performed on the same day are unrelated and not bundled.
`78`	Return to the OR for related procedure during global period	Use if an unplanned return to the operating room for a related procedure occurs during the global surgical period.
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during the global period	Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period of a prior procedure.
`LT`	Left side	Use to identify procedures performed on the left lower extremity when laterality is required by payer.
`RT`	Right side	Use to identify procedures performed on the right lower extremity when laterality is required by payer.
`GA`	Waiver of liability statement on file (ABN)	Use when a signed Advanced Beneficiary Notice is on file for Medicare patients when service may be non-covered.
`XE`	Separate encounter, distinct from other services on the same date	Use to indicate the procedure was a separate encounter from other services if payer recognizes modifier XE of the -59 modifier set.
`XC`	Separate practitioner, distinct from other services on the same date	Use to indicate the procedure was performed by a different practitioner and is distinct when applicable.
`XS`	Separate incision or separate organ/structure	Use when the service involves a separate vascular family or distinct organ system from other services same day.
`RTV`	Data not standard — Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207PR0200X`	Interventional Cardiology	Performs peripheral endovascular interventions including femoropopliteal stenting in some centers.
`2080P0207X`	Vascular Surgery	Common specialty performing open and endovascular femoropopliteal stenting.
`207VG0300X`	Interventional Radiology	Often performs percutaneous femoropopliteal stent placement under imaging guidance.
`207RH0005X`	Cardiovascular Disease (General)	May perform peripheral interventions in integrated vascular programs.
`2080N0401X`	General Surgery	Some general surgeons with vascular focus perform femoropopliteal endovascular procedures.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`I70.213`	Atherosclerosis of native arteries of right leg with intermittent claudication	Common indication for femoropopliteal stent placement to relieve symptomatic stenosis.
`I70.212`	Atherosclerosis of native arteries of left leg with intermittent claudication	Same clinical relevance for left-sided disease.
`I70.239`	Atherosclerosis of native arteries of unspecified leg with rest pain	Indicates critical limb ischemia requiring revascularization such as stent placement.
`I70.231`	Atherosclerosis of native arteries of right leg with gangrene	Advanced limb-threatening ischemia where endovascular stenting may be part of limb salvage.
`I70.241`	Atherosclerosis of autologous vein bypass graft of right leg with intermittent claudication	Lesions in bypass grafts may require endovascular stent placement in the femoropopliteal territory.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`37220`	Revascularization, endovascular; transluminal balloon angioplasty, open or percutaneous, femoral, popliteal, tibial arteries, initial vessel	Often performed before stent placement for lesion preparation or as stand-alone therapy for simple lesions.
`37224`	Revascularization, endovascular; transluminal stent placement, initial vessel, lower extremity, infrainguinal, percutaneous	Alternative code for stent placement when different coding conventions apply; `37267` describes stent placement for femoral/popliteal territory specifically.
`36247`	Selective catheter placement, arterial system; each first order thoracic, abdominal, pelvic branch vessel, catheter placement	Used when selective catheterization of pelvic or lower extremity arteries is separately reportable during diagnostic angiography.
`77012`	Computed tomography guidance for vascular interventions (if applicable)	Imaging guidance code used when advanced imaging such as CT guidance is used for access or localization (rare for standard femoropopliteal stent).
`92928`	Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty; with stent (includes angioplasty and stent)	Cardiac counterpart; listed here for coding workflow reference when cross-specialty billing considerations occur.