CPT code 33952: ECMO cannulation, peripheral, percutaneous, younger than five2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports percutaneous placement of peripheral ECMO/ECLS cannulae in a patient younger than five who needs extracorporeal cardiac or respiratory support.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33952 in Texas.
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 33952 covers
Code 33952 describes percutaneous placement of peripheral cannulae to connect a patient younger than five to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or extracorporeal life support circuit. Cannulation may be needed for severe cardiac or respiratory failure when support outside the body is required. A physician experienced in ECMO access, often a surgeon, performs the procedure in a hospital setting such as an intensive care unit or operating room. Peripheral access uses vessels outside the chest; the selected vessels depend on the patient and clinical circumstances.
Select this code when the patient is younger than five and the documented approach is percutaneous peripheral cannulation. Distinguish it from the older-patient and open-placement codes. The record should support the patient’s age, access approach, cannula placement, and clinical reason for ECMO/ECLS. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others are subject to the standard 50% 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.
Where 33952 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX | Unavailable | $381.77 |
| Beaumont, TX | Unavailable | $375.20 |
| Brazoria, TX | Unavailable | $373.00 |
| Dallas, TX | Unavailable | $378.30 |
| Fort Worth, TX | Unavailable | $378.51 |
| Galveston, TX | Unavailable | $376.04 |
| Houston, TX | Unavailable | $409.35 |
| Rest of Texas | Unavailable | $375.90 |
How the 33952 rate is calculated
Each of 33952’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 · 33952
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work7.95
7.95 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.75
1.75 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.82
1.82 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
11.5200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$384.78
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33952
The CMS indicators that decide how 33952 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 33952
ECMO cannulation, peripheral, percutaneous, younger than five
| 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
33952 without 51 · national facility
$384.78
ECMO cannulation, peripheral, percutaneous, younger than five
33952-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$192.39
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%).
33952 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 33951ECMO cannulationPercutaneous, age 5 or older
- Use 33951 for percutaneous peripheral cannulation in a patient age five or older; 33952 is for a patient younger than five.
- 33953ECMO cannulationOpen, age six and older
- 33953 describes open peripheral cannulation in a patient age five or older. Code 33952 is percutaneous and for a patient younger than five.
- 33954ECMO cannulationPercutaneous, age 6 and older
- Both codes apply to patients younger than five; 33952 describes percutaneous placement, while 33954 describes open placement.
- 33946ECMO initiationVenovenous, age six and older
- 33946 describes venovenous ECMO/ECLS initiation. Code 33952 reports percutaneous peripheral cannula placement in a patient younger than five.
33952 billing questions
How does 33952 differ from 33951?
Both describe percutaneous peripheral ECMO/ECLS cannulation. Choose 33952 for a patient younger than five and 33951 for a patient age five or older.
How does 33952 differ from 33954?
Both are for patients younger than five, but 33952 is for percutaneous placement and 33954 is for open placement.
Does 33952 describe ECMO initiation?
It describes peripheral cannula placement. Codes 33946 and 33947 describe ECMO/ECLS initiation, distinguished by the venous or arterial circuit configuration.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral cannulation?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
What documentation supports assistant-at-surgery payment?
Document the medical necessity for the assistant’s participation. CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment only when that necessity is supported.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures in that session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
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
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