Interventional radiology CPT codes, add-ons and modifiers from your procedure note
Stop leaving money on the table on IR procedures.
Paste your procedure note. Get the correct CPT codes, add-ons, modifiers, and reimbursement estimates in under 10 seconds — with facility, professional, OBL, and commercial rates backed by 3.4 million hospital-level negotiated rate records from CenterIQ. Built by interventional radiologists who got tired of under-coding.
IR coding is where physician groups leak the most revenue.
Every IR procedure has a decision tree of primary codes, add-ons, supervision/interpretation codes, and bilateral/modifier rules. Miss one and you lose real money on a case you already did. Do it wrong at scale and you lose six figures a year.
Under-coding is the default.
When a code is ambiguous, most radiologists default to the lower-paying option to avoid an audit. Collectively this leaks a meaningful share of earned revenue on complex cases.
Add-on codes get missed.
Selective catheter placements, each-additional-vessel add-ons, and S&I codes are frequently dropped because billing staff defer to the attending, and the attending is already on the next case.
Modifiers are a minefield.
Modifier 50 vs 59 vs 26/TC vs XS — each pays differently, and each has payer-specific rules. Wrong modifier = denied claim or underpayment with no appeal.
Codebook lookups don't scale.
Finding the right code in CPT, ACR, or SIR documentation takes 5–15 minutes per procedure. Multiply by 20 cases a day and you're burning 2 hours of attending time on administrative lookup.
CMS rates miss commercial reality.
Every coding tool quotes CMS rates. None show what commercial payors actually pay — which runs 3–7× Medicare on most IR procedures. You make business decisions on the wrong number.
OBL vs facility economics get blurred.
Same CPT, different setting, wildly different reimbursement. Without seeing all four scenarios side by side, you can't evaluate whether to move a procedure to your OBL.
Try it now — paste a procedure note.
No account required for your first 3 runs. Strips PHI before anything leaves your browser. Returns codes, add-ons, modifiers, and reimbursement estimates in one pass.
Guided shorthand entry
Pick the procedure family. The form will reshape itself with only the fields that matter for that family.
IR Coding Companion is a decision-support tool, not a billing authority. All code assignments should be reviewed by a credentialed coder or billing professional. Reimbursement estimates are market benchmarks derived from CMS fee schedules and publicly disclosed hospital Machine Readable Files under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR § 180). Actual payments vary by payer contract, geographic locality, modifier application, and documentation completeness.
9 IR procedure families fully modeled.
Each family has a hand-curated knowledge base of primary codes, approved add-ons, bilateral logic, modifier rules, common documentation pitfalls, and collision-detection keywords to route ambiguous notes to the right family. Maintained by IR physicians, not generated by AI.
Dialysis Access Maintenance
AVF/AVG declot, thrombectomy, angioplasty, stent. Central segment rules. Access-type disambiguation.
PAD Intervention
Iliac, SFA, popliteal, tibial. Atherectomy + angioplasty + stent stacking. Lesion-crossing and territory rules.
Venous Intervention
Iliofemoral, IVC, SVC. May-Thurner, IVUS, chronic venous obstruction reconstruction.
DVT / PE Thrombectomy
Mechanical (ClotTriever, FlowTriever, AngioJet), catheter-directed lysis (EKOS), IVC filter rules.
Embolization (General)
GI bleed, trauma, pseudoaneurysm, AVM, varicocele, pelvic congestion, splenic and renal arterial.
Uterine Fibroid Embolization
Single-code bilateral logic, modifier 50 disambiguation, documentation for unilateral cases.
Prostate Artery Embolization
BPH / LUTS indication, bilateral approach rules, cone-beam CT add-on considerations.
Tumor Ablation
RFA, microwave, cryoablation. Per-organ, per-tumor-count logic. Imaging guidance coding.
IO Chemoembolization / Y90
HCC indication, bead-TACE vs conventional, Y90 mapping + delivery codes, split session billing rules.
How it works
Two input modes: paste a free-text procedure note, or use the guided form when you want precise control over every component.
PHI scrub
Names, MRNs, DOBs, addresses, and other identifiers are removed client-side before any processing. Nothing identifiable leaves your browser.
Family classification
GPT-4o-mini routes the note to the correct procedure family using keyword signals and negative-keyword collision prevention.
Code analysis
GPT-4o analyzes the note against the family's hand-curated knowledge base. Returns primary code, add-ons, modifiers, and bilateral logic.
Rate estimate
CenterIQ's rate engine calculates facility, professional, OBL, and commercial median estimates for the full code set.
What you get back
A complete, copy-ready coding summary plus four reimbursement scenarios. Paste into your billing note, or hand the structured output to your coder.
PRIMARY CODE 37243 Vascular embolization for tumors / organ ischemia (includes all embolized vessels — bilateral is inherent) RELATED CODES 36245 Selective catheter placement, 2nd order abdominal (uterine) 75894 Transcatheter therapy S&I (verify — may bundle per payer) MODIFIERS 50 NOT recommended — 37243 inherently includes bilateral REIMBURSEMENT ESTIMATE (per case) Facility fee (HOPD) $ 11,420 CMS-based Professional fee $ 960 CMS-based OBL global (all-in) $ 6,840 CMS OBL rate Commercial median $ 18,275 MRF median (1,842 hospitals) DOCUMENTATION CHECKS ✓ Bilateral performed — inherent in 37243 ✓ Indication: symptomatic fibroids (bulk / menorrhagia) ⚠ Unilateral? — document reason (prior hyst, variant anatomy) SIR / ACR ALIGNMENT Consistent with SIR UFE coding guide rev 2024-Q3
Built like a physician workflow tool, not a billing product.
Every design decision favors the attending between cases: speed, accuracy, and no training required.
Two input modes
Free-text paste for speed, guided form for precision. Both produce the same structured output.
4-scenario reimbursement
Facility, professional, OBL global, and commercial median rates — side by side. See OBL vs hospital economics in real time.
Collision prevention
Negative keywords and handoff rules prevent UFE from being miscoded as general embolization, or PAE from being routed to BPH urology codes.
Modifier logic
Bilateral (50), distinct procedural (59), anatomical (XS/XE/XP/XU), professional/technical (26/TC) — applied only when documentation supports them.
Deterministic cache
Identical notes return identical codes. Same-day re-runs are instant and free. Cache keyed on scrubbed content only.
Hand-curated knowledge
Family knowledge bases maintained by practicing IR physicians. Aligned with SIR and ACR coding guidelines. Not AI-scraped from the codebook.
Identifiers are scrubbed before anything leaves your device.
HIPAA mode is enabled by default. A regex + NER-based scrubber removes names, dates of birth, medical record numbers, phone numbers, addresses, and other identifiers before the note is sent to the classifier or analyzer. Cache keys hash the scrubbed note only. Usage logs store the family, setting, codes, and rate estimates — never the note content or any patient data. The plugin has no HIPAA attack surface because no PHI ever reaches the server.
Access
Try it without signing up. Unlock unlimited use with a professional account.
Free — no account
- 3 coded procedures per day
- All 9 procedure families
- Full reimbursement estimates
- Free-text and guided input
- HIPAA-conscious PHI scrubbing
Free account — unlimited
- Unlimited coded procedures
- Coding history + export
- Group-level volume tracking
- Priority support for new families
- Early access to new procedures
Common interventional radiology CPT codes
A quick IR CPT code list for the procedures most often under-coded. Paste the full note above for add-ons, S&I codes, modifiers and reimbursement. Verify against the current CPT book; codes change yearly.
| Family | Procedure | CPT |
|---|---|---|
| Dialysis access | Fistulogram, diagnostic | 36901 |
| Dialysis access | Angioplasty, peripheral segment | 36902 |
| Dialysis access | Stent, peripheral segment | 36903 |
| Dialysis access | Thrombectomy / declot | 36904 |
| Dialysis access | Thrombectomy + angioplasty | 36905 |
| Dialysis access | Thrombectomy + stent | 36906 |
| PAD | Iliac angioplasty | 37220 |
| PAD | Iliac stent | 37221 |
| PAD | Fem-pop angioplasty | 37224 |
| PAD | Fem-pop atherectomy | 37225 |
| PAD | Fem-pop stent | 37226 |
| PAD | Tibial angioplasty | 37228 |
| PAD | Tibial atherectomy | 37229 |
| Embolization | Arterial, non-hemorrhage (UFE, PAE, tumor) | 37243 |
| Embolization | Arterial, hemorrhage or lymphatic | 37244 |
| Embolization | Venous (varicocele, pelvic congestion) | 37241 |
| Embolization | Y90 radioembolization delivery | 37243 + 79445 |
| Venous | Venous thrombectomy, percutaneous | 37187 |
| Venous | IVC filter insertion | 37191 |
| Venous | IVC filter retrieval | 37193 |
| Venous | TIPS | 37182 |
| Access devices | Tunneled central venous catheter, age 5+ | 36558 |
| Access devices | Tunneled port, age 5+ | 36561 |
| Access devices | Removal of tunneled port | 36590 |
| Drainage | Paracentesis with imaging guidance | 49083 |
| Drainage | Thoracentesis with imaging guidance | 32555 |
| Drainage | Percutaneous abscess drainage, peritoneal | 49406 |
| Drainage | Nephrostomy tube placement | 50432 |
| Drainage | Biliary drainage, external | 47533 |
| Drainage | Biliary drainage, internal-external | 47534 |
| Biopsy | Liver biopsy, percutaneous needle | 47000 |
| Biopsy | Kidney biopsy | 50200 |
| Biopsy | Core biopsy, other site (soft tissue/organ), with imaging | per site + 77012 / 76942 |
| Biopsy | Lumbar puncture, diagnostic, with fluoroscopy | 62270 + 77003 |
| Ablation | Liver tumor RFA, percutaneous | 47382 |
| Ablation | Liver tumor cryoablation, percutaneous | 47383 |
| Ablation | Renal tumor RFA | 50592 |
| Ablation | Renal tumor cryoablation | 50593 |
| Ablation | Lung tumor RFA | 32998 |
| Spine | Vertebroplasty, lumbar | 22511 |
| Spine | Kyphoplasty, lumbar | 22514 |
Deeper guides: IR CPT coding overview · UFE coding (37243) · PAD intervention coding · CPT 37229 · Paracentesis guidelines
Frequently asked questions
Is this a replacement for my certified coder?
No. IR Coding Companion is a decision-support tool for the attending physician at the point of documentation. Its output should always be reviewed by a credentialed coder or billing professional before submission. Where it adds the most value is catching under-coding and missed add-ons before the bill leaves the attending's desk — which is too late in most workflows.
How accurate is the coding?
Each procedure family has a regression test suite built by practicing IR physicians. The analyzer is prompted against hand-curated knowledge bases that encode SIR and ACR coding guidance. It will not invent codes and will flag ambiguity rather than guess. That said, edge cases exist — always review the output, especially for modifier selection and add-on applicability.
Where do the reimbursement numbers come from?
Facility and professional rates are derived from current CMS fee schedules (MPFS and ASC/HOPD payment rates). OBL rates use CMS office-based lab payment data. Commercial median rates come from CenterIQ's ingestion of hospital Machine Readable Files published under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule — 3.4 million hospital-level rate records across 2,700+ hospitals. Hospital machine-readable files obtained from the consolidated dataset published by Trilliant Health's Oria data portal (snapshot of November 7, 2025). Commercial rates reflect real contracted amounts between hospitals and payers.
Is it HIPAA compliant?
The tool is engineered so that no PHI ever leaves your browser. A deterministic scrubber removes identifiers before any text is sent to the AI model. The cache and logs key on scrubbed content hashes only. Because no PHI is stored, transmitted, or processed, the tool has no HIPAA attack surface. That said, you should still treat the tool as part of your workflow and confirm your own organization's data-handling requirements.
Why does it sometimes refuse to give a code?
If the documentation is missing a component required by the code (e.g., no statement of bilateral involvement, no vessel territory documented, no imaging guidance), the tool will flag the gap rather than assign a code. This is intentional. Assigning a code without supporting documentation is what creates audit risk — the tool will not generate audit exposure for you.
Does it handle add-on codes and S&I codes?
Yes. Each family knowledge base encodes primary code + approved add-ons + radiological supervision and interpretation (S&I) codes + bundling rules. The tool will return the full code set, not just the primary. It will also flag common bundling gotchas — e.g., 75894 with 37243 in certain payer contracts.
What procedure families are coming next?
On the roadmap: biliary intervention, GU intervention (nephrostomy, ureteral stent), hepatic TIPS, neuro/spine IR (kyphoplasty, epidural), central venous access (tunneled catheters, ports), biopsies and drainages (thoracentesis, paracentesis, image-guided biopsy). Request a family at gighz.com/contact and we'll prioritize by demand.
How does this connect to CenterIQ?
IR Coding Companion shares the same underlying rate database as CenterIQ — 3.4 million hospital-level rate records from CMS machine-readable files consolidated by Trilliant Health's Oria data portal. That means the commercial rate estimate you see after coding a procedure here matches what you'd pull from Rate Intelligence in CenterIQ. If you're planning an OBL or running payer negotiations, code your cases here and open Contract Benchmark in CenterIQ for the named-hospital comparison.
Hospital machine-readable files obtained from the consolidated dataset published by Trilliant Health’s Oria data portal (snapshot of November 7, 2025). oria-data.trillianthealth.com
Code smarter on your next case.
Built by interventional radiologists, backed by 3.4 million hospital-posted rate records, and designed to return a complete coding answer in the time it takes to walk from the angio suite to the reading room.
IR Coding Companion is a decision-support and documentation tool: describe the procedure, get code guidance. Procedure descriptions and explanatory text shown in this tool are written in our own plain-language format and do not reproduce the official AMA CPT® code descriptors. CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association; this tool is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed by the AMA. Always verify codes against current AMA CPT® publications before billing. Not a substitute for a credentialed coder, billing professional, or compliance review. Reimbursement estimates are market benchmarks derived from CMS and MRF data; actual payments vary by payer contract and documentation. CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule source: 45 CFR § 180. Built by physicians, for physicians.
Written and reviewed by Pouyan Golshani, MD, Interventional Radiologist — Last updated April 7, 2026
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