CPT code 33897: Aortic angioplasty, native or recurrent coarctation2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Reports catheter-based balloon dilation of a native or recurrent aortic coarctation, typically performed by an interventional cardiologist in a cardiac catheterization lab.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33897 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.
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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 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
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | Unavailable | $481.74 |
| Chico, CA | Unavailable | $474.90 |
| El Centro, CA | Unavailable | $475.32 |
| Fresno, CA | Unavailable | $474.90 |
| Hanford, CA | Unavailable | $474.90 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Unavailable | $499.81 |
| Madera, CA | Unavailable | $474.90 |
| Marin County, CA | Unavailable | $516.43 |
| Merced, CA | Unavailable | $474.90 |
| Modesto, CA | Unavailable | $474.90 |
| Napa, CA | Unavailable | $503.27 |
| Oxnard, CA | Unavailable | $491.72 |
| Redding, CA | Unavailable | $474.90 |
| Rest of California | Unavailable | $474.90 |
| Riverside, CA | Unavailable | $501.93 |
| Sacramento, CA | Unavailable | $485.97 |
| Salinas, CA | Unavailable | $483.95 |
| San Benito County, CA | Unavailable | $530.29 |
| San Diego, CA | Unavailable | $486.52 |
| San Francisco, CA | Unavailable | $513.57 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Unavailable | $477.71 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | Unavailable | $518.59 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | Unavailable | $484.09 |
| Santa Maria, CA | Unavailable | $483.35 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | Unavailable | $488.11 |
| Stockton, CA | Unavailable | $474.90 |
| Vallejo, CA | Unavailable | $499.14 |
| Visalia, CA | Unavailable | $474.90 |
| Yuba City, CA | Unavailable | $474.90 |
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
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
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is 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) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician 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%).
33897 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
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.
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
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