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CPT code 33897: Aortic angioplasty, native or recurrent coarctation2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports catheter-based balloon dilation of a native or recurrent aortic coarctation, typically performed by an interventional cardiologist in a cardiac catheterization lab.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $501.68 for 33897 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 33897

Aortic angioplasty, native or recurrent coarctation

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
10.54
Total RVUs
15.02
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$501.68

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 33897 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 33897 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 33897 covers

This service treats a narrowed segment of the aorta caused by native or recurrent coarctation. An interventional cardiologist advances a balloon catheter through percutaneous vascular access to the narrowed area and inflates it to widen the vessel. The procedure is typically performed in a hospital cardiac catheterization lab, including for patients with congenital heart disease who need treatment of aortic narrowing.

Report the code when balloon angioplasty is performed for native or recurrent aortic coarctation; documentation should identify the coarctation and describe the catheter-based dilation. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the multiple procedure reduction to the others. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this aortic service. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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 33897 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

33897 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$456.97
AlaskaUnavailable$644.17
ArizonaUnavailable$487.53
ArkansasUnavailable$451.63
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$520.70
Austin, TXUnavailable$496.59
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$481.74
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$532.04
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$489.81
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$485.39

33897 rates by state

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

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
33897 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 33897 rate is calculated

Each of 33897’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 · 33897

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work10.54

10.54 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense1.96

1.96 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice2.52

2.52 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

15.0200

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$501.68

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 33897

The CMS indicators that decide how 33897 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 33897

Aortic angioplasty, native or recurrent coarctation

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

33897 without 51 · national facility

$501.68

Aortic angioplasty, native or recurrent coarctation

33897-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$250.84

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%).

When to use modifier 51

33897 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 33897

    Aortic angioplasty, native or recurrent coarctation10.54 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 33840

    Coarctation repair, direct anastomosis20.81 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 33845

    Coarctation repair, graft reconstruction22.36 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 33894

    Thoracic endograft, one branch vessel17.81 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 33895

    Coarctation stent repair, without crossing a branch vessel14.18 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

33840Coarctation repairDirect anastomosis
33840 is open excision of coarctation with direct anastomosis. This code is for percutaneous balloon dilation.
33845Coarctation repairGraft reconstruction
33845 describes open excision with graft reconstruction; this code describes catheter-based angioplasty of native or recurrent coarctation.
33894Thoracic endograftOne branch vessel
33894 is an endovascular stent repair code for coarctation. Use this code for the balloon angioplasty service rather than a stent repair.
33895Coarctation stent repairWithout crossing a branch vessel
33895 also describes endovascular stent repair of coarctation. Distinguish the stent procedure from balloon angioplasty reported with this code.

Codes related to 33897

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

Codes related to 33897
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
33840Coarctation repair, direct anastomosisOpen excision of coarctation with direct anastomosis, rather than percutaneous balloon dilation.No office rate
33845Coarctation repair, graft reconstructionOpen coarctation excision with graft reconstruction, a different approach from balloon angioplasty.No office rate
33894Thoracic endograft, one branch vesselStent-based endovascular coarctation repair; distinguish from balloon angioplasty without stent repair.No office rate
33895Coarctation stent repair, without crossing a branch vesselAnother endovascular coarctation stent repair code; select according to the documented stent procedure.No office rate

33897 billing questions

When should this code be selected instead of an open coarctation repair code?

Use this code for percutaneous balloon dilation of native or recurrent aortic coarctation. Open excision and repair procedures describe a different surgical approach.

How does this differ from the coarctation stent codes?

This code describes balloon angioplasty. When the service is an endovascular stent repair, compare the applicable stent code, such as 33894 or 33895, rather than treating the procedures as interchangeable.

Should modifier 50 be reported for coarctation affecting both sides?

No. The aorta is a single vessel for this service, and the CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply.

Can an assistant-at-surgery be paid with this procedure?

Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when medical necessity is documented. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

What documentation supports reporting this code?

Document the native or recurrent aortic coarctation and the balloon catheter treatment performed at the narrowed segment. The record should distinguish balloon dilation from open repair or stent-based repair.

How does Medicare handle this code when other procedures occur in the same session?

Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50% when performed in the same session.

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

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 33897PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,107 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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