CPT code 33875: Aortic graft, descending thoracic aorta2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Open replacement of the descending thoracic aorta with a graft, reported for repair of aneurysmal or other disease involving this segment.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33875 in Missouri.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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What 33875 covers
A cardiothoracic or vascular surgeon replaces a diseased portion of the descending thoracic aorta with a graft through an open operation, typically using a thoracic incision. Common indications include a descending thoracic aneurysm or dissection. The operation may use bypass support, but bypass is not required for reporting this graft procedure.
Select this code when the open graft repair involves the descending thoracic aorta; document the treated segment, the condition repaired, the graft reconstruction, and any bypass used. The 90-day 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 50% multiple procedure reduction. Bilateral adjustment is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons are permitted; 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.
Where 33875 pays more and less in Missouri
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Kansas City, MO | Unavailable | $2,498.46 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | Unavailable | $2,514.90 |
| Rest of Missouri | Unavailable | $2,460.78 |
How the 33875 rate is calculated
Each of 33875’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.
How the rate is built · 33875
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work49.45
49.45 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense14.17
14.17 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice12.33
12.33 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
75.9500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$2,536.80
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33875
33875 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 33875
Aortic graft, descending thoracic aorta
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 2 | Permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.09/0.84/0.07 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 33875
Aortic graft, descending thoracic aorta
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
33875 without 51 · national facility
$2,536.80
Aortic graft, descending thoracic aorta
33875-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,268.40
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
33875 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 33877Aortic graftThoracoabdominal segment
- Use 33875 for open graft repair of the descending thoracic segment. Use 33877 when the repair extends into the thoracoabdominal aorta and includes visceral artery reconstruction.
- 33880Thoracic endovascular repairLeft subclavian origin covered
- This code describes open graft replacement; 33880 describes endovascular descending thoracic repair involving coverage of the left subclavian origin.
- 33881Thoracic endograftLeft subclavian origin spared
- This code describes open graft replacement; 33881 describes endovascular descending thoracic repair without coverage of the left subclavian origin.
- 33871Aortic arch graftTransverse arch, hypothermic arrest
- Code 33871 concerns graft repair of the transverse aortic arch. Code 33875 is for the descending thoracic aorta.
33875 billing questions
How is this distinguished from 33877?
Report 33875 for open graft repair of the descending thoracic aorta. Code 33877 is for thoracoabdominal repair extending into the abdominal aorta with visceral artery reconstruction.
When should an endovascular code be considered instead?
Codes 33880 and 33881 describe endovascular descending thoracic aortic repair rather than open graft replacement. Their distinction includes whether the repair covers the left subclavian origin.
Does the operation require bypass?
No. The graft repair may be performed with or without bypass; document the operative approach and support used.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons for this code. Team surgery is not permitted.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral repair?
No. Bilateral adjustment is inappropriate for this code and anatomy.
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
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