CPT 37788 Ligation Reimbursement & Policy | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 37788: Ligation of an Artery or Vein

CPT code 37788 denotes surgical ligation of an artery or vein, a common vascular procedure used to control bleeding or isolate a vessel during treatment. Nationally, this code is used across inpatient and outpatient surgical settings and is relevant to vascular surgeons, general surgeons, and hospital billing teams. It is important for ensuring correct surgical reporting and reimbursement for vessel ligation procedures.

Key payers typically involved in coverage decisions include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of the code’s clinical context, payer coverage considerations, typical sites of service, and commonly applied modifiers (input provided). The publication highlights coding scope and practical billing implications for facilities and providers, and summarizes what to check when submitting claims for vascular ligation procedures.

This national summary does not reference state-specific rules. Data not available in the input for detailed payer-specific reimbursement benchmarks, ICD-10 pairings, or provider taxonomies.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicareCPT 37788vascular surgeryligationsurgical procedureoperating roomsurgical billingprocedure codingvascular ligation

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 37788 describes ligation performed on an artery or vein. This procedure involves surgically tying off a vessel to stop blood flow, control bleeding, or isolate a segment for treatment.

Service type: Surgical ligation of an artery or vein
Typical site of service: Operating room or other surgical setting (inpatient or outpatient surgical suite)

Data not available in the input for specific ICD-10 diagnoses, associated taxonomies, or related codes.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is a 62-year-old male presenting with symptomatic varicose veins and recurrent bleeding from a superficial venous branch of the lower extremity. After duplex ultrasound mapping, the vascular surgeon plans operative ligation of the affected superficial vein branch to control hemorrhage and eliminate reflux. The patient undergoes preoperative evaluation including history, medication review, and consent. In the operating room under regional or general anesthesia, surgical exposure is performed, and the target vein or artery is isolated and ligated using suture or clips. Hemostasis is confirmed, the wound is irrigated, and closure is completed. Postoperative workflow includes recovery monitoring, wound care instructions, and scheduling of follow-up for incision check and duplex evaluation as indicated. Typical site of service is an ambulatory surgery center or hospital outpatient surgical suite. Service type is vascular surgical ligation of an artery or vein.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the physician's professional component if a global service was split.
`50`	Bilateral procedure

CPT 37790: Penile Vein Ligation for Erectile Dysfunction

37799-UNLISTED-PROCEDURE-VASCULAR

CPT 37799: Unlisted Vascular Surgery Procedure

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207RG0300X`	Vascular Surgery	Surgeons who commonly perform arterial and venous ligation.
`207YS0121X`	General Surgery	General surgeons frequently perform peripheral vascular ligations.
`2080P0206X`	Interventional Radiology (Vascular & Interventional Radiology)	May perform endovascular or percutaneous ligation/embolization alternatives.
`366A00000X`	Emergency Medicine	May perform or assist emergently for bleeding control prior to definitive vascular surgical care.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`I83.10`	Varicose veins of the lower extremity with ulcer, unspecified	Varicosities with complications may require ligation to control bleeding or treat venous insufficiency.
`I83.90`	Varicose veins of the lower extremity without ulcer or inflammation, unspecified	Common indication for venous ligation when symptomatic or recurrently bleeding.
`I97.2`	Postprocedural hemorrhage and hematoma of a circulatory system organ or structure	Ligation may be performed to control postprocedural vascular bleeding.
`I74.3`	Embolism and thrombosis of arteries of lower extremities	Ligation of a peripheral artery branch may be performed in select cases for hemorrhage control.
`L03.116`	Cellulitis of right lower limb	Secondary infection with localized abscess or bleeding may necessitate ligation as part of surgical management.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`36475`	Endovenous thermal ablation of incompetent vein, extremity, inclusive of all imaging and monitoring when performed	Often performed as an alternative or adjunct to open ligation for treatment of venous insufficiency.
`37186`	Transcatheter occlusion or embolization, venous, any method (eg, embolization by coils, plugs), percutaneous	May be used as a percutaneous alternative to surgical ligation for venous occlusion.
`37700`	Ligation, femoral vein for varicosity (phlebectomy-related ligation)	Performed for more proximal venous ligation in the same operative setting.
`12002`	Repair, intermediate wound debridement and closure (example: simple repair of skin and subcutaneous tissue)	May be reported when concomitant wound debridement or repair is performed at the ligation site.
`99223`	Initial hospital care, typically 70 minutes or more	Used for preoperative evaluation and management of complex surgical inpatients undergoing ligation.

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