CPT code 33020: Pericardiotomy, clot or foreign body removal2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Montana

In Montana, Medicare pays $783.36 for 33020 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 33020 nationwide

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 33020 covers

A cardiac or thoracic surgeon opens the pericardium to remove a clot or foreign body, such as retained material causing compression around the heart. This is an operative service, commonly performed in a hospital operating room when the problem requires direct surgical access rather than needle or catheter drainage. The procedure may be performed with or without cardiopulmonary bypass.

Report the code when the operative record supports pericardial incision for clot or foreign-body removal; a pericardial window for effusion or pericardial tissue resection is a different service. The major-surgery global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

How Montana compares for 33020

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 33020 runs from $696.21 in Wisconsin to $978.66 in Alaska. Montana pays $783.36. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

33020 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

See 33020 in every payment locality

How the 33020 rate is calculated

Each of 33020’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for 33020

33020 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

Codes related to 33020

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

How 33020 has changed in Montana

Price 33020 for an earlier date of service

Where the Montana rate applies

Montana is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 497 cities and communities in Montana. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Absarokee
• Acton
• Alberton
• Alder
• Alzada
• Amsterdam
• Anaconda-Deer Lodge County
• Antelope

Browse all communities in Montana

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates