CPT code 33883: Aortic extension, delayed, proximal placement2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $961.61 for 33883 nationally in a facility.

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

What 33883 covers

A vascular or cardiothoracic surgeon uses catheter-based techniques to place a graft extension at the proximal end of a prior endovascular repair of the descending thoracic aorta. This may be needed when the original repair requires a longer proximal seal, such as for a persistent endoleak. The procedure is typically performed in an operating room or hybrid suite with imaging used to guide graft positioning.

Report this service for the delayed proximal extension procedure, rather than for the original thoracic endovascular repair or a distal extension. The operative report should identify the prior repair, the reason for extension, its proximal location, and the work performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When other 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. Assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeon billing are permitted; report participating surgeons under the applicable rules rather than as a team surgery.

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 33883 pays more and less

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

109 of 109 payment localities

33883 rates by state

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

How the 33883 rate is calculated

Each of 33883’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 33883

33883 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

33883 compared with similar codes

How to choose

33880Thoracic endovascular repairLeft subclavian origin covered

33880 describes the initial endovascular repair involving coverage of the left subclavian artery origin. This code is for a later proximal extension to a prior repair.

33881Thoracic endograftLeft subclavian origin spared

33881 describes the initial endovascular repair without coverage of the left subclavian artery origin. Use this code for the subsequent proximal extension procedure.

33886Aortic extensionDelayed distal placement

Both concern delayed extension placement after a prior thoracic endovascular repair. Choose this code for a proximal extension and 33886 for a distal extension.

Codes related to 33883

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