2025 CPT code 36400
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Surgery - Cardiovascular System Feed
Venipuncture performed by a physician or other qualified healthcare professional on a patient younger than 3 years old, involving the femoral or jugular vein. This is not for routine blood draws.
Modifiers may be applicable to further specify the circumstances of the procedure.
Medical necessity must be clearly documented. This should include the clinical reason why routine venipuncture was not possible and why access to the femoral or jugular vein was required, specifically noting the child's age and the difficulty of accessing other veins.
This procedure requires a physician or other qualified healthcare professional due to the technical difficulty associated with accessing the femoral or jugular vein in young children.
In simple words: A doctor or qualified healthcare professional draws blood from a vein in the neck (jugular) or groin (femoral) of a child younger than 3 years old. This is done when regular vein access in the arm is difficult and requires special expertise.It's not for routine blood tests.
Venipuncture, younger than age 3 years, necessitating the skill of a physician or other qualified health care professional, not to be used for routine venipuncture; femoral or jugular vein. This code represents a venipuncture procedure performed on a child under the age of 3 when the skill of a physician or other qualified healthcare professional (such as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant) is required due to the difficulty of accessing veins in young children. This is typically done for blood draws from the femoral or jugular veins and is not intended for routine venipuncture procedures.
Example 1: A 2-year-old child with dehydration and poor vein access in the extremities requires blood tests. The physician performs a venipuncture of the femoral vein to obtain the necessary blood sample., A 1-year-old infant with suspected sepsis requires urgent blood cultures. Due to the child's critical condition and difficulty obtaining venous access elsewhere, the physician performs a venipuncture of the jugular vein., A 2.5-year-old child with multiple previous venipunctures and scarring in the extremities needs blood drawn for testing.A physician performs venipuncture on the femoral vein to get a sample.
Documentation should clearly state the medical necessity for the physician or other qualified healthcare professional to perform the venipuncture, including the age of the patient (younger than 3 years), the specific vein accessed (femoral or jugular), and the reason why routine venipuncture was not feasible.
** It is important to accurately document the medical necessity for the procedure and code selection to ensure proper reimbursement.Refer to current CPT coding guidelines for any updates or changes since the last revision date.
- Specialties:Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Interventional Radiology
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Office, Skilled Nursing Facility