CPT code 33968: Balloon removal, percutaneous approach2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $29.73 for 33968 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 33968 covers

This service removes an intra-aortic balloon assist device through its percutaneous arterial access, typically after the patient’s hemodynamic status allows balloon-pump support to end. It is commonly performed in a hospital, such as an intensive care unit or cardiac catheterization setting, by a physician managing the patient’s cardiac support. The work centers on withdrawing the balloon catheter and managing the access site; it is distinct from removing an ECMO cannula or a ventricular assist device.

Report 33968 when the intra-aortic balloon device is removed percutaneously, rather than when it is inserted or removed through an open aortic approach. The record should identify the device, the percutaneous removal, and the clinical event ending support. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code, and 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 33968 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

33968 rates by state

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

How the 33968 rate is calculated

Each of 33968’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 33968

The CMS indicators that decide how 33968 is paid alongside other services.

33968 compared with similar codes

How to choose

33967Balloon pump insertionPercutaneous approach

Use 33967 for percutaneous insertion of the intra-aortic balloon assist device; use 33968 when that device is removed.

33971Aortic assist removalOpen approach

Use 33971 when removal is performed through an open aortic approach. Code 33968 is for percutaneous removal.

33965ECMO cannula removalPercutaneous, age five and older

33965 concerns removal of a peripheral ECMO/ECLS cannula. It does not describe removal of an intra-aortic balloon assist device.

Codes related to 33968

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