CPT code 33852: Aortic arch repair, without bypass2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33852 in California.

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

What 33852 covers

This service addresses an underdeveloped, narrowed aortic arch, often in a patient with congenital heart disease such as coarctation. A cardiothoracic surgeon performs the open repair without cardiopulmonary bypass. The operative report should establish that the arch hypoplasia was repaired and describe the operative approach and whether bypass was used; the diagnosis alone does not distinguish this code from its bypass counterpart.

Report this code for the repair without bypass, rather than the related arch-repair code for a procedure performed with bypass. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day before surgery 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 the others are subject to a 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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.

Where 33852 pays more and less in California

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

29 of 29 payment localities

How the 33852 rate is calculated

Each of 33852’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 33852

33852 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

33852 compared with similar codes

How to choose

33853Aortic arch repairWith bypass

Use 33853 when the hypoplastic arch repair is performed with cardiopulmonary bypass. This code identifies the repair performed without bypass.

33840Coarctation repairDirect anastomosis

33840 describes coarctation excision with direct anastomosis. Choose based on the operative service documented, not simply the presence of a narrowed aorta.

33845Coarctation repairGraft reconstruction

33845 is for coarctation excision with graft. It differs from repair of an underdeveloped arch without bypass.

33871Aortic arch graftTransverse arch, hypothermic arrest

33871 describes transverse aortic arch grafting with hypothermic circulatory arrest, not the hypoplastic arch repair without bypass represented here.

Codes related to 33852

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

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