CPT code 33966: ECMO cannula removal, peripheral, open approach2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $215.77 for 33966 nationally in a facility.

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

What 33966 covers

This service covers surgical removal of peripheral cannulae used for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or extracorporeal life support. A surgeon, commonly a cardiothoracic or vascular surgeon, removes the cannula through an open approach, typically in a hospital operating room or intensive care setting when a patient is ready to come off extracorporeal support. The service concerns removal of the cannula, not its initial placement or repositioning.

Select this code when the documented removal uses an open approach and matches the code’s cannula and patient criteria; distinguish it from the percutaneous removal variant. The operative note should identify the peripheral cannula removed and describe the open removal. CMS assigns 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. 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 33966 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

33966 rates by state

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

How the 33966 rate is calculated

Each of 33966’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 33966

The CMS indicators that decide how 33966 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

33966 compared with similar codes

How to choose

33965ECMO cannula removalPercutaneous, age five and older

Use 33965 for percutaneous peripheral cannula removal. This code describes removal through an open approach.

33969ECMO cannula removalPeripheral, percutaneous

Both are peripheral cannula-removal codes. Apply the specific cannula and patient criteria in the applicable descriptor to select between them.

33957ECMO cannula repositioningPercutaneous, venovenous

33957 represents repositioning a peripheral ECMO/ECLS cannula, not removing it from the patient.

33952ECMO cannulationPeripheral, percutaneous, younger than five

33952 is a peripheral cannula insertion code. Choose it for placement, not decannulation.

Codes related to 33966

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