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CPT code 33988: Left heart vent, insertion2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical placement of a left heart vent to decompress the left-sided chambers during cardiac surgery, typically while the patient is on cardiopulmonary bypass.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities32 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $710.77 for 33988 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 33988

Left heart vent, insertion

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
14.63
Total RVUs
21.28
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$710.77

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 33988 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 33988 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 33988 covers

A left heart vent temporarily drains blood from the left side of the heart to help prevent chamber distention during cardiac surgery. A cardiothoracic surgeon typically places it in the operating room as part of an open cardiac procedure, often while the patient is supported by cardiopulmonary bypass. The operative report should identify the placement and the vent’s role in the procedure.

Report 33988 for the insertion service, not for removal of the vent; distinguish the work from the principal cardiac operation in the documentation. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery, co-surgeon, and team-surgery payment each require supporting documentation; assistant payment specifically requires medical necessity.

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 33988 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

33988 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$646.99
AlaskaUnavailable$909.62
ArizonaUnavailable$690.71
ArkansasUnavailable$639.35
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$737.36
Austin, TXUnavailable$704.58
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$684.61
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$753.92
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$693.00
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$688.09

33988 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
33988 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

How the 33988 rate is calculated

Each of 33988’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 · 33988

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work14.63

14.63 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense3.16

3.16 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice3.49

3.49 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

21.2800

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$710.77

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 33988

The CMS indicators that decide how 33988 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 33988

Left heart vent, insertion

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
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)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

33988 without 51 · national facility

$710.77

Left heart vent, insertion

33988-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$355.39

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%).

When to use modifier 51

33988 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 33988

    Left heart vent, insertion14.63 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 33989

    Heart vent removal, left heart vent9.26 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 33990

    VAD insertion, left heart, arterial access6.58 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 33991

    VAD insertion, left heart, arterial and venous access8.62 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

33989Heart vent removalLeft heart vent
33988 is for placing the left heart vent; 33989 is for removing it.
33990VAD insertionLeft heart, arterial access
33990 covers percutaneous insertion of a left heart ventricular assist device, not surgical placement of a vent for decompression.
33991VAD insertionLeft heart, arterial and venous access
33991 describes percutaneous left heart VAD insertion using arterial and venous access; 33988 reports left heart vent insertion.

Codes related to 33988

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Codes related to 33988
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
33989Heart vent removal, left heart ventRemoval of the left heart vent; distinguishes the later removal service from insertion.No office rate

33988 billing questions

How does insertion differ from removal of a left heart vent?

Use 33988 for placement. Code 33989 describes the removal service.

What documentation supports reporting 33988?

The operative report should establish that the surgeon placed a left heart vent and describe its role in the cardiac procedure.

Is modifier 50 appropriate?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.

How does the multiple-procedure rule affect payment?

For procedures performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and the other procedures at 50%.

Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeon and team-surgery payment require supporting documentation.

Does the code include same-day postoperative care?

Yes. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.

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 33988PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,172 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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