CPT code 33951: ECMO cannulation, percutaneous, age 5 or older2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Virginia

Reports percutaneous placement of peripheral ECMO/ECLS cannulae for patients age five or older, such as femoral vascular access for extracorporeal support.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026One payment locality

In Virginia, Medicare pays $369.35 for 33951 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Not available in this settingOffice (non-facility)
$369.35Hospital or facility

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 33951 nationwide

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

We’ll open 33951 for the payment locality that covers the ZIP.

On this page 11 sections
  1. Rate in Virginia
  2. What 33951 covers
  3. Compared with other areas
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Related codes
  8. Rate history
  9. Where it applies
  10. Billing questions
  11. Sources

What 33951 covers

This service covers percutaneous placement of cannulae in peripheral vessels to establish extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or extracorporeal life support. It is used when a patient needs temporary circulatory or respiratory support, including situations requiring peripheral access such as femoral cannulation. Cardiothoracic and other surgeons who perform ECMO access procedures commonly provide the service in a hospital setting. The age threshold for this code is five years or older.

Select this code when the cannulae are placed percutaneously in peripheral vessels; use a different code when the patient is younger or the access is open or central. The operative record should identify the access approach, peripheral site, cannula placement, and patient age. The service has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When other procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. 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.

How Virginia compares for 33951

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 33951 runs from $342.46 in Wisconsin to $497.13 in Alaska. Virginia pays $369.35. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

33951 in Virginia vs other payment areas
  1. Virginia · this page$369.35
  2. Los Angeles, CA · California$389.51+$20.16
  3. Washington, DC area · District of Columbia$421.31+$51.96
  4. Miami, FL · Florida$489.12+$119.77
  5. Chicago, IL · Illinois$473.89+$104.54
  6. Manhattan, NY · New York$453.18+$83.83
  7. Alaska · Alaska$497.13+$127.78

Other areas in Virginia first, then benchmark localities. Bars start at $0.

Every other payment area

33951 in every other Medicare payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaAlabama—$353.96
ArkansasArkansas—$349.75
ArizonaArizona—$378.08
Bakersfield, CACalifornia—$374.96
Chico, CACalifornia—$369.77
El Centro, CACalifornia—$370.09
Fresno, CACalifornia—$369.77
Hanford, CACalifornia—$369.77

33951 rates by state

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

Explore a state

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
33951 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

See 33951 in every payment locality

How the 33951 rate is calculated

Each of 33951’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 · 33951

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work7.95

7.95 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense1.79

1.79 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.91

1.91 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

11.6500

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$389.12

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

The exact Virginia inputs and CMS source lines

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

4,137

Code
33951
Physician work
7.95
Practice expense
1.79
Malpractice
1.91

GPCI2026.csv

106

Locality
Virginia
Physician work
1.000
Practice expense
0.983
Malpractice
0.706
Facility calculation for 33951 in Virginia
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work7.95× 1.0007.9500
Practice expense1.79× 0.9831.7596
Malpractice1.91× 0.7061.3485
Total RVUs11.0580
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Facility rate, Virginia$369.35

Facility: (7.95 × 1 + 1.79 × 0.983 + 1.91 × 0.706) × $33.4009 = $369.35

Open 33951 in the RVU calculator

Payment rules and modifiers for 33951

The CMS indicators that decide how 33951 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 33951

ECMO cannulation, percutaneous, age 5 or older

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

33951 without 51 · national facility

$389.12

ECMO cannulation, percutaneous, age 5 or older

33951-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$194.56

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

How 33951 has changed in Virginia

33951 · Office / nonfacility

Rate unavailable

Effective 2026-10-01

A rate is unavailable in one of these releases, so a change cannot be calculated.

Base rate by release · bars start at $0 · select a bar to compare

One bar per available release, ordered by effective date. Missing rates remain gaps. These comparisons hold the code, setting and locality identifiers constant; they do not isolate which policy or input caused a change.

What changed, release by release
  1. January 1, 2015

    RVU15A

    No ratechanged toNo rate

    Held through RVU15B, RVU15C, RVU15D, RVU16A, RVU16B, RVU16C, RVU16D, RVU17A, RVU17B, RVU17C, RVU17D, RVU18AR1, RVU18B, RVU18C, RVU18D, RVU19A, RVU19B, RVU19C, RVU19D, RVU20A, RVU20B, RVU20C, RVU20D, RVU21A, RVU21B, RVU21C, RVU21D, RVU22A, RVU22B, RVU22C, RVU22D, RVU23A, RVU23B, RVU23C, RVU23D, RVU24A, RVU24AR, RVU24B, RVU24C, RVU24D, RVU25A, RVU25B, RVU25C, RVU25D, RVU26A, RVU26B, RVU26C, RVU26D.

  2. January 1, 2013

    RVU13AR

    Earliest loaded release: No rate

    Held through RVU13B, RVU13C, RVU13D, RVU14A, RVU14B, RVU14C, RVU14D.

Rates in every CMS release
Effective fromOfficeFacilityCMS release
2026-10-01Not available in this setting$369.35RVU26D
2026-07-01Not available in this setting$369.35RVU26C
2026-04-01Not available in this setting$369.35RVU26B
2026-01-01Not available in this setting$369.35RVU26A
2025-10-01Not available in this setting$385.11RVU25D
2025-07-01Not available in this setting$385.11RVU25C
2025-04-01Not available in this setting$385.11RVU25B
2025-01-01Not available in this setting$385.11RVU25A
2024-10-01Not available in this setting$393.84RVU24D
2024-07-01Not available in this setting$393.84RVU24C
2024-04-01Not available in this setting$393.84RVU24B
2024-03-09Not available in this setting$393.84RVU24AR
2024-01-01Not available in this setting$387.41RVU24A
2023-10-01Not available in this setting$406.80RVU23D
2023-07-01Not available in this setting$406.80RVU23C
2023-04-01Not available in this setting$406.80RVU23B
2023-01-01Not available in this setting$406.80RVU23A
2022-10-01Not available in this setting$422.25RVU22D
2022-07-01Not available in this setting$422.25RVU22C
2022-04-01Not available in this setting$422.25RVU22B
2022-01-01Not available in this setting$422.25RVU22A
2021-10-01Not available in this setting$423.91RVU21D
2021-07-01Not available in this setting$423.91RVU21C
2021-04-01Not available in this setting$423.91RVU21B
2021-01-01Not available in this setting$423.91RVU21A
2020-10-01Not available in this setting$437.07RVU20D
2020-07-01Not available in this setting$437.07RVU20C
2020-04-01Not available in this setting$437.07RVU20B
2020-01-01Not available in this setting$437.07RVU20A
2019-10-01Not available in this setting$438.66RVU19D
2019-07-01Not available in this setting$438.66RVU19C
2019-04-01Not available in this setting$438.66RVU19B
2019-01-01Not available in this setting$438.66RVU19A
2018-10-01Not available in this setting$438.24RVU18D
2018-07-01Not available in this setting$438.24RVU18C
2018-04-01Not available in this setting$438.24RVU18B
2018-01-01Not available in this setting$438.24RVU18AR1
2017-10-01Not available in this setting$440.16RVU17D
2017-07-01Not available in this setting$440.16RVU17C
2017-04-01Not available in this setting$440.16RVU17B
2017-01-01Not available in this setting$440.16RVU17A
2016-10-01Not available in this setting$425.94RVU16D
2016-07-01Not available in this setting$425.94RVU16C
2016-04-01Not available in this setting$425.94RVU16B
2016-01-01Not available in this setting$425.94RVU16A
2015-10-01Not available in this setting$449.44RVU15D
2015-07-01Not available in this setting$449.44RVU15C
2015-04-01Not available in this setting$447.21RVU15B
2015-01-01Not available in this setting$447.21RVU15A
2014-10-01Not in this releaseNot in this releaseRVU14D
2014-07-01Not in this releaseNot in this releaseRVU14C
2014-04-01Not in this releaseNot in this releaseRVU14B
2014-01-01Not in this releaseNot in this releaseRVU14A
2013-10-01Not in this releaseNot in this releaseRVU13D
2013-07-01Not in this releaseNot in this releaseRVU13C
2013-04-01Not in this releaseNot in this releaseRVU13B
2013-01-01Not in this releaseNot in this releaseRVU13AR

Price 33951 for an earlier date of service

Where the Virginia rate applies

Virginia is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 628 cities and communities in Virginia. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

  • Abbs Valley
  • Abingdon
  • Accomac
  • Adwolf
  • Afton
  • Alberta
  • Aldie
  • Allison Gap

Browse all communities in Virginia

33951 billing questions

How does 33951 differ from 33952?

Both describe percutaneous peripheral ECMO/ECLS cannula insertion. Use 33951 for patients age five or older and 33952 for patients younger than five.

When should 33953 be considered instead?

33953 describes open peripheral cannula insertion for patients age five or older. The access technique, rather than the peripheral site alone, distinguishes it from 33951.

Is modifier 50 appropriate for cannulation on both sides?

No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to 33951, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.

What documentation supports reporting 33951?

Document the patient's age, the peripheral access site, the percutaneous approach, and placement of the cannulae for ECMO/ECLS.

Can an assistant-at-surgery be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment is limited to cases with documented medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

How does the 0-day global period affect same-day care?

Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the procedure's 0-day global period.

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 33951PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,137 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for VirginiaGPCI2026.csv, line 106 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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