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    v1.0.30
    OpenPayerBilling CodesHydration InfusionCPT cpt-96360-intravenous-hydration-infusion-31-60-minutes
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    CPT 96360: Intravenous Catheter Placement for Hydration 31–60 min

    Medicare pays $35 and commercial payers pay $140 on average nationally for this procedure.

    CPT code 96360 describes the introduction of an intravenous catheter for hydration and electrolyte supplementation, performed when treating severe dehydration; the service is an IV catheter placement for supplemental fluid therapy with a typical service duration of 31 minutes to one hour, generally delivered in emergency department or outpatient infusion/acute care settings.

    For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Ambulance and Medical Transport Services (Ground, Air and Water) Corporate Medical Policy, Emergency Air/Water Ambulance Services Medical Guideline, Non-Emergent Ambulance Services.

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    National Reimbursement Benchmarks

    Nationally, Medicare’s mean rate of $34.8 for CPT 96360 sits well below BUCA’s commercial average of $140, highlighting a substantial gap between the government fee level and the average commercial reimbursement. That gap of $105.2 underscores how commercial payers on average reimburse meaningfully more than Medicare for this infusion administration code.

    Dispersion varies notably across payers: Blue Cross Blue Shield has the widest interquartile spread (P75 $238.4 minus P25 $161.3 = $77.1), followed by BUCA (P75 $169.9 minus P25 $108.6 = $61.3). UnitedHealth Group and Cigna show similar mid-level spreads (UnitedHealth Group IQR $39.4; Cigna IQR $38.8). Aetna displays the tightest IQR at $40.9? Wait compute: Aetna P75 $76.9 minus P25 $35.2 = $41.7 — this makes Aetna among the tighter distributions, while Blue Cross Blue Shield is the most dispersed.

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    National Payer Mean Reimbursement Rates

    State Reimbursement Rates

    State: Alaska1 / 51

    Rate by payer

    Clinical & Coding Specifications

    Clinical Context

    A 68-year-old patient presents to the urgent care clinic with weakness, persistent vomiting, poor oral intake for 48 hours, and dizziness. Vital signs show tachycardia and orthostatic hypotension. Laboratory testing demonstrates elevated blood urea nitrogen and signs of volume depletion. The provider determines the patient has moderate-to-severe dehydration and orders intravenous fluid supplementation. A registered nurse or licensed clinician places an IV catheter and initiates an infusion of isotonic crystalloid for a continuous hydration infusion lasting between 31 minutes and one hour, billed with 96360 for the initial hydration infusion time frame. Expected workflow: triage and assessment, orders placed by the family or internal medicine physician, IV access placement by the nurse, infusion initiation and monitoring for response and electrolyte abnormalities (for example, hypokalemia E87.6 or hyponatremia E87.1), documentation of start and stop times, and discharge or escalation of care as indicated.

    Related CPT Codes

    CPT CodeDescriptionRelationship to This Procedure
    96361Intravenous infusion, hydration; each additional hour (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

    Related Modifiers

    7 rows

    ModifierDescriptionWhen to Use
    25CPT modifier 25 indicates that on the same day as another procedure or service, the same physician or other qualified health care professional provided a significant, separately identifiable…- When to apply: Use modifier 25 only on an E/M code to indicate the same provider delivered a significant, separately identifiable E/M service on the same day as another procedure or service — i.e.,…
    59Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
    76Modifier -76, Repeat Procedure or Service by Same Physician or Other Qualified Health Care Professional, is appended when the same provider performs an identical, medically necessary procedure or…- Use modifier -76 when the same physician or other qualified health care professional performs an identical procedure or service a second (or subsequent) time on the same date of service and the…
    77Modifier 77 indicates that a previously performed procedure or service was legitimately repeated by a different physician or other qualified health care professional. The AMA’s CPT definition…- Use modifier 77 when a basic procedure or service already performed is repeated by a different physician or other qualified health care professional (for example, a second provider independently…
    52Modifier ‑52 (Reduced Services) indicates that a service or procedure was partially reduced or omitted at the provider’s discretion, allowing reporting of the basic procedure number with a qualifier…- Use modifier -52 when a physician or qualified health professional electively reduces or omits part of a procedure or service (for example, performing fewer required views or omitting a portion of…
    53Modifier 53 (Discontinued Procedure) signals that a surgical or diagnostic service was begun by the physician but terminated because of extenuating circumstances that threatened the patient’s…- Use modifier -53 when a physician/qualified healthcare professional has started a surgical or diagnostic procedure (e.g., anesthesia administered, incision or scope insertion) and then discontinues…
    91Modifier 91 — “Repeat Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Test” — is appended when the exact same CPT laboratory test is performed more than once for the same patient on the same day because serial,…- Use modifier 91 when the exact same CPT laboratory test is performed more than once on the same patient on the same date because serial or repeated testing is medically necessary to monitor…

    Related Provider Taxonomies

    8 rows

    Taxonomy Code
    207Q00000X
    207R00000X
    163W00000X
    385HR2050X
    261QP2300X
    207VG0400X
    2279P3800X
    2471R0002X

    Related ICD-10-CM Codes

    5 rows

    ICD-10-CM CodeDescription
    E87.1Hypo-osmolality and hyponatremia
    E87.6Hypokalemia
    R11.0Nausea
    R63.0Anorexia
    E86.0Dehydration

    Related Payer Policy Updates

    Specialty: Emergency & Medical Transportation1 / 3

    10 rows

    PolicyPayerEffective Date
    Ambulance and Medical Transport Services (Ground, Air and Water) Corporate Medical Policybcbsvermont2026-10-01
    Emergency Air/Water Ambulance Services Medical GuidelineWPS Health Insurance2026-10-01
    Non-Emergent Ambulance ServicesConnectiCare2026-09-11
    Fixed Wing Air Ambulance TransportCigna2026-08-15
    Air AmbulanceAmbetter Georgia2026-08-01
    Ambulance Services (for New Mexico Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-08-01
    Ambulance Services (for Tennessee Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-08-01
    Clinical Policy: Air AmbulanceAmbetter Nevada2026-08-01
    Air AmbulanceCentene2026-08-01
    Clinical Policy: Air AmbulanceArizona Complete Health2026-08-01

    Related Codes

    CPT-96361-IV-FLUIDS-WITH-ELECTROLYTES-ADDITIONAL-HOUR

    CPT 96361: Intravenous Fluids with Electrolytes, Each Additional Hour

    Frequently Asked Questions

    References

    1. 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. 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. 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.
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    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.

    Billed when the hydration infusion continues beyond the initial hour covered by 96360; reported per additional hour.
    96365Intravenous infusion, for therapy, prophylaxis, or diagnosis (specify substance or drug); initial, up to 1 hourUsed when a specific therapeutic medication (not routine hydration) is infused intravenously for up to one hour; differentiates drug infusion from hydration service.
    96409Chemotherapy administration; intravenous, push technique, single or initial substance/drugRelated by administration technique only; used for IV push chemotherapy agents, not for routine hydration.
    96413Chemotherapy administration; intravenous, infusion technique; up to 1 hour (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)Used when chemotherapeutic agents are infused up to one hour; may coexist in a clinical workflow if hydration is given before/after chemotherapy but is a distinct service.