HCPCS Code C1757: Catheter, thrombectomy/embolectomy billing guide

Key takeaways

HCPCS Code C1757 describes a catheter used in thrombectomy and embolectomy procedures — an active Level II HCPCS code maintained by CMS.

C1757 is billed under the Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) for hospital outpatient settings. Inpatient and ASC rates differ.

Companion CPT codes must be listed on the same claim — NCCI bundling edits may restrict certain CPT/HCPCS combinations, so verify each pairing before submission.

Pabau’s claims management software lets billing staff attach HCPCS device codes like C1757 directly to procedures, reducing manual lookup errors across the claim workflow.

HCPCS Code C1757 identifies a catheter, thrombectomy/embolectomy — a vascular device used to remove blood clots or emboli from arteries and veins.

Billing staff who process cardiovascular device claims encounter HCPCS Code C1757 when a thrombectomy or embolectomy catheter is used during a hospital-based intervention and must be separately reported on the claim.

The code sits within HCPCS Level II, the standardized code set maintained by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for reporting supplies, devices, and non-physician services not captured by CPT codes. Under HIPAA, covered entities must use HCPCS codes as standardized code sets in electronic claims transactions.

C1757 code details at a glance

The table below summarizes the key metadata for HCPCS Code C1757, drawn from current CMS HCPCS data files.

C-series codes are HCPCS Level II codes assigned specifically for use in hospital outpatient settings and updated annually by CMS. They are not valid for physician office billing and do not appear on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Verify the applicable effective and termination dates against the CMS HCPCS code list before each claim year.

Clinical context: When is C1757 used?

Thrombectomy and embolectomy catheters are interventional devices designed to extract thrombus (blood clot) or embolus from an occluded vessel. Clinicians reach for them in urgent vascular interventions where pharmacological thrombolysis alone is insufficient or contraindicated.

HCPCS Code C1757 applies when one of these catheters is physically used during the procedure. Common clinical scenarios include:

• Acute peripheral arterial occlusion: sudden loss of blood flow to a limb, requiring emergent catheter-based clot retrieval
• Acute venous thromboembolism interventions: catheter-directed mechanical thrombus removal in deep vein thrombosis (DVT) cases
• Post-surgical embolectomy: removal of embolus lodged in a vessel following cardiac or vascular surgery
• Mechanical thrombectomy for stroke: retrieval of intracranial clot; note that separate stroke-specific device codes may also apply depending on the system used
• Visceral or mesenteric arterial occlusion: catheter-based intervention to restore blood supply to abdominal organs

The device types covered under HCPCS Code C1757 include aspiration catheters, balloon-based embolectomy catheters (such as Fogarty-type devices), and mechanical thrombectomy systems. The specific clinical indication and device type should be documented in the operative report to support medical necessity.

Manufacturers including Penumbra Inc. and Boston Scientific publish reimbursement guides covering C1757 for their respective thrombectomy systems. These guides are useful clinical references but do not override CMS Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs) or National Coverage Determinations (NCDs). Always verify coverage against the applicable MAC’s LCD before assuming Medicare necessity.

HCPCS Code C1757: Medicare coverage and reimbursement

Medicare reimburses HCPCS Code C1757 under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) when billed by a hospital outpatient department. The device is packaged into the associated procedure’s APC (Ambulatory Payment Classification) rate in most cases, meaning it may not generate a separate line-item payment.

Payment methodology varies by setting. The table below summarizes how reimbursement typically works across Medicare settings for thrombectomy/embolectomy catheter claims.

Specific dollar reimbursement amounts for HCPCS Code C1757 are updated each calendar year in the CMS OPPS Addendum B. Because rates change annually and vary by geographic wage index adjustments, always confirm current rates against the Addendum B file for the applicable claim year rather than relying on third-party fee schedule databases.

2026 Fee schedule updates for C1757

The HCPCS code set confirms C1757 remains active with no description change from 2025. As of the 2026 OPPS final rule, billing staff should review:

• Whether C1757 retains pass-through device status or has been bundled into the APC — this changes annually and affects whether a separate device payment is generated
• Updated wage index adjustments affecting OPPS payment rates by geographic location
• Any new CMS transmittals from Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) affecting coverage for thrombectomy catheter procedures in your jurisdiction

Commercial payer coverage

Commercial payers do not follow CMS OPPS rates. Coverage for thrombectomy/embolectomy catheters under commercial plans depends on individual payer contracts, medical policy bulletins, and prior authorization requirements.

• Verify coverage eligibility and device benefit language for each payer before the procedure
• Some commercial policies apply global surgical package rules that bundle device costs into the procedure fee
• Prior authorization is commonly required for elective vascular interventions. Emergent procedures may bypass PA requirements but still require retrospective notification
• Document medical necessity thoroughly — commercial payers increasingly apply clinical criteria from specialty society guidelines as coverage conditions

For guidance on managing patient data security and audit trails alongside billing workflows, billing departments benefit from integrated systems rather than siloed reference tools.

Billing and coding guidelines for HCPCS Code C1757

Getting the claim right for HCPCS Code C1757 requires more than entering the code. Billing staff need to understand claim form placement, reporting rules, and the NCCI bundling environment before submitting.

Follow this sequence for clean C1757 claim submission:

1. Confirm facility setting eligibility. C1757 is a C-series code reportable only by hospital outpatient facilities and, where applicable, ASCs. Never submit on a CMS-1500 form from a physician office.
2. Report on the UB-04 claim form. Place C1757 in a revenue code line. Commonly used revenue codes for device/supply items in OPPS include 0272 (medical/surgical supplies) or device-specific revenue codes per your chargemaster — verify with your MAC’s billing guidance.
3. Link the companion CPT procedure code. C1757 is a device code, not a procedure code. The surgical or interventional procedure performed must be reported with its corresponding CPT code on the same claim.
4. Check NCCI bundling edits. The CMS National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) may apply column 1/column 2 edits or mutually exclusive code edits to specific CPT/HCPCS pairings. Run the claim through an NCCI edit check tool before submission.
5. Verify units. Report the number of units based on the quantity of catheters actually used during the procedure. Do not report units based on anticipated use.
6. Attach required modifiers. If the procedure is bilateral or involves multiple vessels, apply appropriate modifiers per your MAC’s guidance. Some payers require a modifier to override a bundling edit when the clinical circumstances support separate reporting.

For broader medical forms and documentation workflows that support clean claim submission, integrated practice management reduces the manual steps between clinical documentation and code attachment.

Companion CPT codes billed with C1757

HCPCS Code C1757 is a device code that must accompany a procedure code on the same claim. The table below shows commonly paired CPT codes. Confirm NCCI compatibility for each pairing before submission — bundling edits can change annually.

This list reflects commonly reported pairings and is not exhaustive. The AAPC Codify tool and CMS NCCI edit tables are the authoritative sources for current bundling compatibility. Specific NCCI column 1/column 2 relationships change with each quarterly update — check the CMS NCCI tool directly for any pairing not on this list.

Related HCPCS codes to C1757

Billing staff working with cardiovascular device claims regularly encounter adjacent C-series codes. The crosswalk below covers the codes most frequently confused with or substituted for HCPCS Code C1757.

A common chargemaster error involves C1713 being mapped to cardiovascular catheter procedures because of its C-series prefix. C1713 is an orthopedic anchor/screw — unrelated to vascular work. Audit your chargemaster annually to catch mismapped C-codes before they generate systematic billing errors, and cross-check any unfamiliar C-code against the current CMS HCPCS list rather than relying on a similar-looking prefix.

Billing staff managing cardiovascular procedure codes can find related guidance in Pabau’s articles on IVF CPT codes and ADHD screening CPT codes for additional billing workflow context.

Documentation requirements for C1757 claims

Missing documentation is the leading cause of C1757 claim denials that escalate to appeals. Unlike drug codes that require a prescription, device codes like HCPCS Code C1757 require the clinical record to establish both medical necessity and device use. Payers audit device code claims at higher rates than most procedure codes because device costs are significant and misreporting is common.

Every C1757 claim should be supported by the following documentation, maintained in the patient record and retrievable on request:

• Operative or procedure report: must name the specific catheter device used, the approach (open vs. percutaneous), the vessel(s) treated, and the clinical indication. Generic references to “thrombectomy performed” without device specifics are insufficient for audit purposes.
• Device invoice or implant log: the facility’s device tracking log showing the catheter lot number, manufacturer, and quantity used. This is the primary evidence that the device was actually implanted or used in the case.
• Medical necessity documentation: physician orders, imaging reports, or diagnostic findings establishing why thrombectomy/embolectomy was clinically indicated. For Medicare, the clinical criteria in the applicable MAC LCD should be referenced explicitly in the procedure note.
• Pre-procedure imaging: angiography, CT angiography, or duplex ultrasound confirming the presence and location of the occlusion.
• Prior authorization reference number: where required by the payer, the PA reference number must appear on the claim or be retained in the record.

Strong medical office compliance requirements around documentation retention apply here. Device records and procedure notes must typically be retained for a minimum of six years under Medicare conditions of participation, though state law may require longer periods.

For practical guidance on keeping electronic records compliant while moving device documentation off paper, see this guide to a HIPAA-compliant paperless practice.

How practice management software supports C1757 billing

Most billing teams research HCPCS codes in a reference tab, then manually enter the code into a separate billing system. That multi-step, multi-tab process is where transposition errors creep in — wrong code, wrong units, missing revenue code.

Integrated claims management software cuts that process down to one step. With Pabau, billing staff can attach HCPCS device codes like C1757 directly to procedures within the same workflow used for scheduling, clinical notes, and invoicing.

The code travels with the encounter record, reducing the chance of it being omitted or entered against the wrong claim.

Beyond code entry, integrated platforms support HCPCS Code C1757 billing in three ways:

• Audit trail: every code attached to a claim is timestamped and linked to the clinical encounter, giving the billing team a defensible audit trail if a payer requests records.
• Fee schedule management: annual HCPCS updates can be applied centrally, ensuring all billing staff work from current code descriptions and rates without maintaining separate reference sheets.
• Reporting and compliance review: billing managers can surface patterns in HCPCS device code usage across claims, identifying cases where C1757 was submitted without a companion procedure code or where units do not align with device logs.

For practices that also manage EHR integration for billing workflows, connecting clinical documentation with claim generation is the key lever for reducing denials on device codes. Explore how HIPAA-compliant documentation practices within an integrated system support the audit readiness that device code claims require.

This isn’t unique to hospital billing departments. Billing teams at an IV therapy clinic tracking vascular access supplies, or a GP practice coordinating a referral for a hospital-based thrombectomy, rely on the same principle: one system holding the clinical note, the code, and the claim together.

Reduce HCPCS billing errors with integrated claims management

Pabau lets billing staff attach device codes like C1757 directly to procedures inside the same workflow used for scheduling and clinical notes. No tab-switching, no manual transfer from a reference site to your billing system.

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Conclusion

HCPCS Code C1757 is a straightforward code to look up but a complex one to bill correctly. Billing teams rarely misidentify the device itself. What trips up a claim is submitting it without the right companion CPT, without checking NCCI bundling, or without the documentation to survive an audit.

Device code claims draw more scrutiny than most claim types, and the missing paperwork that causes denials is almost always preventable.

Pabau’s claims management software integrates HCPCS code entry, clinical documentation, and compliance reporting into a single workflow. If your billing team is managing device code claims across multiple systems, book a demo to see how consolidating that process reduces errors and supports audit readiness.

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