CPT code 33965: ECMO cannula removal, percutaneous, age five and older2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33965 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.

What 33965 covers

This service covers percutaneous removal of peripheral cannulae used for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or extracorporeal life support in a patient age five or older. It is performed when the patient no longer needs extracorporeal support, often in an intensive care unit or procedure setting. The physician removes the cannulae through the percutaneous access sites and manages hemostasis. Cardiovascular and vascular surgeons, along with other physicians involved in ECMO care, may perform the procedure.

Select this code for percutaneous removal in the specified age group; document the patient’s age, the ECMO/ECLS indication, the peripheral cannulae removed, and the percutaneous approach. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. An assistant at surgery is payable only when medical necessity is documented; 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 33965 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

How the 33965 rate is calculated

Each of 33965’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 33965

The CMS indicators that decide how 33965 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

33965 compared with similar codes

How to choose

33966ECMO cannula removalPeripheral, open approach

Both describe percutaneous peripheral ECMO/ECLS cannula removal; choose 33965 for patients age five and older and 33966 for younger patients.

33969ECMO cannula removalPeripheral, percutaneous

This code represents percutaneous removal. Code 33969 is the open approach to peripheral ECMO/ECLS cannula removal.

33951ECMO cannulationPercutaneous, age 5 or older

Code 33951 covers percutaneous insertion of peripheral ECMO/ECLS cannulae, not their removal after support ends.

33957ECMO cannula repositioningPercutaneous, venovenous

Code 33957 describes percutaneous repositioning of peripheral cannulae that remain in use; 33965 describes their removal.

Codes related to 33965

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