Placement of an indwelling lumbar or sacral epidural or subarachnoid catheter for continuous infusion or repeated bolus drug delivery, guided by fluoroscopy or CT.
- Medicare
- $274.56
- Work RVU
- 1.85
- Global, days
- 0
- Region
- Spine
Documentation requirements
What must appear in the operative or office note to support the claim.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in 3 cited references ↓
- Lumbar or sacral entry level and imaging modality
- Saved image showing catheter position or contrast spread
- Type of anesthesia used for the surgical case
- Surgeon request for post-op pain management
- Drug, concentration, and infusion rate or bolus plan
- Test dose result and post-placement assessment
Applicable modifiers
Modifiers commonly billed with this code.
Source · AMA CPT modifier descriptors · CMS NCCI Policy Manual
What this code covers
Source · Editorial summary grounded in 3 cited references ↓
62327 covers an imaging-guided catheter placed at a lumbar or sacral level for continuous or intermittent drug delivery. Fluoroscopy or CT is included. The non-imaging version is 62326.
For an orthopedic practice, the common scenario is a lumbar epidural catheter placed by anesthesia for pain control after a total knee, total hip, or lower extremity fracture fixation. It is also used for a short intrathecal infusion trial before a pump. The surgeon does not bill it, but how the anesthesia team codes it affects the episode.
The rule that matters most: the catheter is separately reportable only when it is not the surgical anesthetic. If the hip was done under general anesthesia and the epidural catheter was placed for post-op pain at the surgeon's request, bill 62327 with modifier 59 or XU. If the case was done under epidural or combined spinal-epidural anesthesia, the catheter is part of the anesthesia service. Labor epidurals do not belong here at all. Daily infusion management after the day of placement goes on 01996. Bill once per placement, not per day.
RVU & reimbursement
Component RVUs and Medicare national rate. Actual payment varies by GPCI locality.
Source · CMS Physician Fee Schedule, RVU26A · January 2026
Work RVU vs. total RVU
The work RVU (1.85) is the surgeon's own effort — the figure physician pay and productivity targets are built on. The total RVU (8.22) adds practice overhead and malpractice, and is what drives the Medicare payment below.
| Work RVU | 1.85 |
| Practice expense RVU | 6.18 |
| Malpractice RVU | 0.19 |
| Total RVU | 8.22 |
| Medicare national rate | $274.56 |
| Global period | 0 days |
Payment by site of service
Medicare pays different rates by setting. HOPD typically pays substantially more than ASC for the same procedure.
Source · CMS OPPS Addendum B·ASC HCPCS payment rates·2026
| Setting | Medicare rate (national) |
|---|---|
Office (PFS non-facility) Procedure performed in physician's office | $274.56 |
HOPD (APC 5443) Hospital outpatient department | $903.63 |
ASC (PI G2) Ambulatory surgical center (freestanding) | $485.51 |
Common denial reasons
The recurring reasons claims for CPT 62327 get rejected.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓
- Catheter was the surgical anesthetic and is not separately payable
- Missing modifier 59 or XU with the anesthesia base code
- Fluoroscopy billed separately
- No documentation that the surgeon requested post-op analgesia
- Daily management billed as repeat 62327 instead of 01996
- Imaging documented as not used, so 62326 was the correct code
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 3 cited references ↓
01Can 62327 be billed with anesthesia for a total knee?
02What is the difference between 62326 and 62327?
03Is an epidural catheter separately billable if it was the anesthetic?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources.
Mira Scribe
Mira Scribe's notes document the surgeon's request for post-op pain control and the anesthesia type for the case, which supports separate payment for the catheter.
See how Mira captures CPT 62327 documentation