HCPCS code C1750: Catheter, hemodialysis/peritoneal, long-term

Key takeaways

HCPCS code C1750 describes a long-term hemodialysis or peritoneal catheter, reported only in hospital outpatient settings under CMS OPPS.

CMS assigns C1750 to an Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) group. The 2026 rate comes from that year’s OPPS final rule.

Every claim needs a linked ICD-10 diagnosis, usually N18.6 for ESRD or a CKD stage code. Only the hospital outpatient facility can file it.

Practice management software like Pabau submits, tracks, and reconciles insurance claims for private practices that bill payers directly.

The official CMS descriptor for HCPCS code C1750 is: Catheter, hemodialysis/peritoneal, long-term. It is an HCPCS Level II C-code. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) maintains that category for device and supply costs in hospital outpatient departments.

Those costs are paid under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS). C-codes are not valid in physician offices, inpatient units, or ambulatory surgical centers outside specific carve-outs.

The “long-term” qualifier in the descriptor is clinically significant. It separates C1750 from temporary catheters placed for acute dialysis access.

Long-term hemodialysis catheters are typically tunneled and cuffed. They are built for weeks to months of use, when arteriovenous fistula or graft access is not yet available. Long-term peritoneal catheters, most commonly Tenckhoff catheters, are surgically placed for ongoing peritoneal dialysis.

C1750 code details at a glance

The table below summarizes the key attributes of C1750 as currently maintained by CMS. Verify the APC assignment and status against the current CMS OPPS Addendum B at the start of each fiscal year. APC group numbers and payment indicators shift with the annual OPPS final rule.

Clinical device description: Hemodialysis and peritoneal catheters

C1750 covers two distinct catheter types, united by their long-term design intent. Which device was implanted matters for accurate claim construction, because peritoneal and hemodialysis catheters differ in surgical approach and associated procedure codes.

• Long-term hemodialysis catheters: Tunneled cuffed central venous catheters, such as Hickman-style or split-tip designs, placed in the internal jugular or femoral vein. They are used when arteriovenous fistula or graft creation is delayed or not feasible.
• Long-term peritoneal catheters: Surgically placed catheters, most often a Tenckhoff design with a single or double cuff, entering the peritoneal cavity for ongoing dialysis. They suit patients who are not hemodialysis candidates or who prefer home-based dialysis.
• Patient population: Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) at stage 4 or 5. Both groups need long-term renal replacement therapy.

The long-term designation separates C1750 from non-tunneled temporary hemodialysis catheters. Those are placed for acute or short-duration access and reported under different codes. Confusing the two routinely generates mismatch denials, because the diagnoses, procedure codes, and APC groupings all differ.

The catheter is rarely the only device line on a dialysis claim. Disposable catheter tips for peritoneal dialysis, for example, carry their own code, A4860.

2026 fee schedule and C1750 Medicare reimbursement

C1750 Medicare reimbursement is set by CMS under OPPS. Each year, the OPPS final rule fixes APC payment rates, packaging status, and pricing indicators for every active C-code. Verify the 2026 rate against the OPPS quarterly addenda and Addendum B before filing.

Rates vary by APC assignment and can change mid-year under a correction notice. The concepts below decide what a C1750 line actually pays.

Build a rate verification step into your annual coding workflow. Cross-reference the current OPPS Addendum B each January, before claims go out under the new year’s rates.

Covered ICD-10 diagnosis codes for C1750

Every C1750 claim must carry at least one ICD-10 diagnosis code that establishes medical necessity. Payers look for a diagnosis that directly supports the need for a long-term dialysis catheter. A claim with no linked, covered diagnosis is denied.

Verify covered diagnoses against the Local Coverage Determination (LCD) or National Coverage Determination (NCD) for your Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC). Covered lists vary by region and payer. A commercial contract may run narrower or broader than Medicare’s.

C1750 billing guidelines for hospital outpatient settings

C1750 is an OPPS-only code. Only hospital outpatient departments with a Medicare provider agreement to bill under OPPS are eligible filers.

Physician offices, freestanding dialysis facilities, and inpatient units cannot use the code. Neither can ambulatory surgical centers, unless a specific carve-out applies. Submitting C1750 from a non-eligible place of service generates an automatic denial.

Five rules govern every C1750 claim line.

• Place of service (POS): Hospital outpatient only. POS code 22 for an on-campus outpatient hospital is required on OPPS claims. POS 11 for an office or POS 24 for an ASC triggers denial.
• Units of service: Report one unit per catheter placed. Do not inflate units to represent the number of dialysis sessions run through the catheter. The code describes the device, not the procedure performed through it.
• Diagnosis linkage: Link the claim line to the ICD-10 diagnosis that directly supports medical necessity. N18.6 is the most common primary diagnosis on catheter placement claims.
• Documentation requirements: The medical record must support long-term catheter placement. That means the operative note, the catheter type and placement site, and a diagnosis confirming ESRD or advanced CKD.
• Separate billing: C1750 is billed in addition to the procedure code for catheter insertion. Under OPPS the device and the procedure are separate billable line items.

Documentation is where most C1750 claims are won or lost. Structured digital medical forms for catheter placement encounters capture the operative note, catheter type, and diagnosis. All of it lands before the claim enters the queue.

Those records also have to survive an audit years later, so check the retention rules that apply in your state. Consumable dialysis supplies sit outside the device code as well, with their own coverage rules under codes such as A4726.

Modifier usage with C1750

Modifiers are not required on every C1750 line. Certain clinical scenarios and payer policies do call for one. Using the wrong modifier, or omitting a required one, leads to denials or downcoding. A modifier-selection checkpoint in your practice management software catches both before submission.

Always verify modifier requirements against your MAC’s billing guidelines and the specific commercial payer contract. Modifier rules for C-codes are not uniform across payers.

Common C1750 billing errors and how to avoid them

C1750 denials follow a predictable pattern. Most trace back to five root causes: place of service, diagnosis linkage, unit count, device selection, and a missing procedure code. Each one has a specific fix.

• Error 1: Wrong place of service. Submitting C1750 with POS 11 or POS 24 generates an immediate denial, because C-codes are OPPS-only. Correction: confirm POS 22 on every C1750 claim line before submission.
• Error 2: Missing ICD-10 diagnosis linkage. A claim line with no linked diagnosis fails medical necessity review, and so does one that cannot support long-term catheter placement. Correction: attach N18.6 or the appropriate CKD stage code as the primary diagnosis, plus Z99.2 where it applies.
• Error 3: Inflated unit count. Reporting multiple units to represent dialysis sessions run through the catheter is incorrect. C1750 is a device code, and one unit equals one catheter placed. Correction: bill one unit per catheter, however many sessions follow.
• Error 4: Coding a temporary catheter as C1750. Mixing up short-term non-tunneled catheters with the long-term tunneled devices C1750 describes creates a documentation mismatch. Correction: confirm the operative note specifies a tunneled or long-term catheter before assigning C1750.
• Error 5: Omitting the procedure code. C1750 covers the device, not the surgical act of placing it. The relevant CPT insertion code must also appear on the claim. Correction: bill C1750 alongside the applicable CPT code for tunneled hemodialysis or peritoneal catheter insertion.

Pre-submission edits are the cheapest place to catch all five. Well-designed digital intake forms for catheter placement encounters standardize the documentation that supports medical necessity on every claim.

Related HCPCS codes: The C1750-C1759 catheter range

C1750 sits in a catheter code range spanning C1750 through C1759. Each code in the range describes a distinct catheter type, and picking the wrong one is a common miscoding pattern. Other OPPS device codes such as C1749 and C1876 demand the same descriptor check before assignment.

Use the AAPC HCPCS lookup to confirm the full descriptor for any adjacent code. Pabau’s procedure code library covers the wider HCPCS and CPT families.

C1750 vs C1751: Key differences

C1750 and C1751 are the most commonly confused adjacent codes, and the distinction is both clinical and procedural. C1750 describes a catheter placed for hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis on a long-term basis.

C1751 describes an infusion catheter placed for drug or fluid delivery. That covers peripherally inserted, centrally placed, and midline catheters, but explicitly not hemodialysis.

Assigning C1751 for a dialysis catheter, or C1750 for a line placed to run antibiotics, creates a descriptor mismatch that will not survive payer audit. The operative note settles it, because it records the catheter’s intended purpose and design.

Setting decides as much as the descriptor does. Outpatient infusion centers and physician offices cannot bill either C-code, so only the CPT placement code goes on their claims.

How Pabau keeps insurance claims moving in private practice

Hospital outpatient billing runs on a facility system, but the habits behind a clean C1750 line travel. Most private practices still log submitted claims in a spreadsheet and chase remittances through a payer portal. Nothing tells the biller which claim is stuck.

Practice management software like Pabau holds all of it in one place. Its claims management software submits the claim, tracks its status, and reconciles the remittance against what was billed. Every step sits beside the patient record and the treatment note behind it.

The payoff is fewer surprises at month end, because an unpaid line surfaces in days rather than at reconciliation. The Esteem Life Medical Group case study shows what that consolidation looks like across a medical group. Practices offering infusion or IV therapy services carry the same documentation burden on every claim.

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Pabau's claims management software submits insurance claims, tracks their status, and reconciles remittances for private practices. Your billers can see what is paid, what is outstanding, and what needs resubmitting.

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Conclusion

Most C1750 denials are preventable. The code is simple in concept and fails at the claim level, where place of service, diagnosis linkage, unit count, or device selection goes wrong.

What stops those denials is a checklist that runs before submission, backed by documentation captured at the point of care. Verify the APC assignment and packaging status every January, because last year’s rate will not pay this year’s claim.

If your practice bills payers directly rather than under OPPS, the same discipline applies to every claim you file. Book a demo to see how Pabau submits, tracks, and reconciles insurance claims for private practices.

Continue your research

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