CPT code 33979: Ventricular assist device, implantable, single ventricle2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in New Mexico

Reports surgical placement of an implantable intracorporeal ventricular assist device configured to support one ventricle, commonly for advanced heart failure.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026One payment locality901 Medicare services in 2024

In New Mexico, Medicare pays $1,808.61 for 33979 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Not available in this settingOffice (non-facility)
$1,808.61Hospital or facility

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 33979 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 33979 for the payment locality that covers the ZIP.

On this page 11 sections
  1. Rate in New Mexico
  2. What 33979 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 33979 covers

This code describes surgical implantation of an intracorporeal ventricular assist device to support one ventricle. Cardiothoracic surgeons typically perform the operation in a hospital operating room for patients with advanced heart failure who need mechanical circulatory support, such as as a bridge to transplant or longer-term therapy. The operative record should establish that the device is implantable and intracorporeal and identify the ventricle supported.

Select this code for the implanted, single-ventricle configuration; extracorporeal devices and percutaneous catheter-delivered support use different codes. Documentation should describe the device placement and whether support is for one ventricle or both. When multiple procedures subject to the CMS multiple procedure reduction are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are paid at 50%.

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 New Mexico compares for 33979

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 33979 runs from $1,549.97 in Wisconsin to $2,260.05 in Alaska. New Mexico pays $1,808.61. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

33979 in New Mexico vs other payment areas
  1. New Mexico · this page$1,808.61
  2. Los Angeles, CA · California$1,762.64−$45.97
  3. Washington, DC area · District of Columbia$1,912.40+$103.79
  4. Miami, FL · Florida$2,238.82+$430.21
  5. Chicago, IL · Illinois$2,168.08+$359.47
  6. Manhattan, NY · New York$2,063.02+$254.41
  7. Alaska · Alaska$2,260.05+$451.44

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

Every other payment area

33979 in every other Medicare payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaAlabama—$1,607.16
ArkansasArkansas—$1,587.86
ArizonaArizona—$1,717.60
Bakersfield, CACalifornia—$1,697.77
Chico, CACalifornia—$1,673.36
El Centro, CACalifornia—$1,674.87
Fresno, CACalifornia—$1,673.36
Hanford, CACalifornia—$1,673.36

33979 rates by state

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

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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
33979 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 33979 in every payment locality

How the 33979 rate is calculated

Each of 33979’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 · 33979

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work36.56

36.56 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense7.38

7.38 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice9.01

9.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

52.9500

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,768.58

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

The exact New Mexico inputs and CMS source lines

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

4,163

Code
33979
Physician work
36.56
Practice expense
7.38
Malpractice
9.01

GPCI2026.csv

77

Locality
New Mexico
Physician work
1.000
Practice expense
0.917
Malpractice
1.201
Facility calculation for 33979 in New Mexico
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work36.56× 1.00036.5600
Practice expense7.38× 0.9176.7675
Malpractice9.01× 1.20110.8210
Total RVUs54.1485
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Facility rate, New Mexico$1808.61

Facility: (36.56 × 1 + 7.38 × 0.917 + 9.01 × 1.201) × $33.4009 = $1808.61

Open 33979 in the RVU calculator

Payment rules and modifiers for 33979

The CMS indicators that decide how 33979 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 33979

Ventricular assist device, implantable, single ventricle

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global periodXXXThe global surgery concept doesn’t apply.
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)2Paid.
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

33979 without 51 · national facility

$1,768.58

Ventricular assist device, implantable, single ventricle

33979-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$884.29

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 33979 has changed in New Mexico

33979 · 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
Rates in every CMS release
Effective fromOfficeFacilityCMS release
2026-10-01Not available in this setting$1,808.61RVU26D
2026-07-01Not available in this setting$1,808.61RVU26C
2026-04-01Not available in this setting$1,808.61RVU26B
2026-01-01Not available in this setting$1,808.61RVU26A
2025-10-01Not available in this setting$1,859.41RVU25D
2025-07-01Not available in this setting$1,859.41RVU25C
2025-04-01Not available in this setting$1,859.41RVU25B
2025-01-01Not available in this setting$1,859.41RVU25A
2024-10-01Not available in this setting$1,912.53RVU24D
2024-07-01Not available in this setting$1,912.53RVU24C
2024-04-01Not available in this setting$1,912.53RVU24B
2024-03-09Not available in this setting$1,912.53RVU24AR
2024-01-01Not available in this setting$1,881.31RVU24A
2023-10-01Not available in this setting$1,937.49RVU23D
2023-07-01Not available in this setting$1,937.49RVU23C
2023-04-01Not available in this setting$1,937.49RVU23B
2023-01-01Not available in this setting$1,937.49RVU23A
2022-10-01Not available in this setting$1,982.09RVU22D
2022-07-01Not available in this setting$1,982.09RVU22C
2022-04-01Not available in this setting$1,982.09RVU22B
2022-01-01Not available in this setting$1,982.09RVU22A
2021-10-01Not available in this setting$1,990.47RVU21D
2021-07-01Not available in this setting$1,990.47RVU21C
2021-04-01Not available in this setting$1,990.47RVU21B
2021-01-01Not available in this setting$1,990.47RVU21A
2020-10-01Not available in this setting$2,067.70RVU20D
2020-07-01Not available in this setting$2,067.70RVU20C
2020-04-01Not available in this setting$2,067.70RVU20B
2020-01-01Not available in this setting$2,067.70RVU20A
2019-10-01Not available in this setting$2,089.15RVU19D
2019-07-01Not available in this setting$2,089.15RVU19C
2019-04-01Not available in this setting$2,089.15RVU19B
2019-01-01Not available in this setting$2,089.15RVU19A
2018-10-01Not available in this setting$2,084.01RVU18D
2018-07-01Not available in this setting$2,084.01RVU18C
2018-04-01Not available in this setting$2,084.01RVU18B
2018-01-01Not available in this setting$2,084.01RVU18AR1
2017-10-01Not available in this setting$2,073.24RVU17D
2017-07-01Not available in this setting$2,073.24RVU17C
2017-04-01Not available in this setting$2,073.24RVU17B
2017-01-01Not available in this setting$2,073.24RVU17A
2016-10-01Not available in this setting$2,061.49RVU16D
2016-07-01Not available in this setting$2,061.49RVU16C
2016-04-01Not available in this setting$2,061.49RVU16B
2016-01-01Not available in this setting$2,061.49RVU16A
2015-10-01Not available in this setting$2,069.26RVU15D
2015-07-01Not available in this setting$2,069.26RVU15C
2015-04-01Not available in this setting$2,058.97RVU15B
2015-01-01Not available in this setting$2,058.97RVU15A
2014-10-01Not available in this setting$2,036.79RVU14D
2014-07-01Not available in this setting$2,036.79RVU14C
2014-04-01Not available in this setting$2,036.79RVU14B
2014-01-01Not available in this setting$2,036.79RVU14A
2013-10-01Not available in this setting$1,954.45RVU13D
2013-07-01Not available in this setting$1,954.45RVU13C
2013-04-01Not available in this setting$1,954.45RVU13B
2013-01-01Not available in this setting$1,954.45RVU13AR

Price 33979 for an earlier date of service

Where the New Mexico rate applies

New Mexico is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 528 cities and communities in New Mexico. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

  • Abeytas
  • Abiquiu
  • Acomita Lake
  • Adelino
  • Agua Fria
  • Alamillo
  • Alamo
  • Alamogordo

Browse all communities in New Mexico

33979 billing questions

When should 33979 be selected?

Use it for surgical implantation of an intracorporeal assist device configured to support one ventricle. The operative report should support the implantable device type and single-ventricle configuration.

How does 33979 differ from 33975 or 33976?

33979 describes an implantable intracorporeal device. Codes 33975 and 33976 describe extracorporeal devices, with the latter supporting both ventricles.

How does 33979 differ from 33990 or 33991?

33979 is for surgical implantation of an intracorporeal device. Codes 33990 and 33991 describe percutaneous left-heart assist device insertion using different access configurations.

Should 33979 be used for device removal or pump replacement?

No. Code 33980 describes removal of an implantable intracorporeal device, while 33982 and 33983 describe pump replacement procedures.

How is 33979 paid when other procedures occur in the same session?

Under the CMS multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50%.

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 33979PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,163 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for New MexicoGPCI2026.csv, line 77 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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