FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

CPT code 92953: External pacing, temporary transcutaneous2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Temporary transcutaneous pacing uses surface electrodes and an external pulse generator to support a patient with clinically significant bradycardia or conduction block.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities114 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1.00 for 92953 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 92953

External pacing, temporary transcutaneous

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
0.01
Total RVUs
0.03
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$1.00

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 92953 →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 92953 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 92953 covers

CPT 92953 describes temporary cardiac pacing delivered through electrodes placed on the skin and connected to an external pulse generator. Emergency and critical care clinicians may use it as a bridge when severe bradycardia or heart block causes symptoms or hemodynamic instability, including while evaluating or arranging more definitive pacing. The service is distinct from placing a temporary pacing lead through a vein and from treating a shockable rhythm with cardioversion.

Report the service when external pacing is performed, with documentation of the clinical indication and the pacing intervention. The CMS global period is 0 days, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of 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 92953 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

92953 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$0.82
AlaskaUnavailable$1.04
ArizonaUnavailable$0.94
ArkansasUnavailable$0.79
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$1.08
Austin, TXUnavailable$0.98
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$0.91
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$1.11
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$0.95
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$0.93

92953 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

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
92953 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 92953 rate is calculated

Each of 92953’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 · 92953

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work0.01

0.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense0.01

0.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.01

0.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

0.0300

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1.00

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 92953

The CMS indicators that decide how 92953 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 92953

External pacing, temporary transcutaneous

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures0No multiple-procedure reduction.
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)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

92953 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 92953

    External pacing, temporary transcutaneous0.01 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 33210

    Temporary pacing, single-chamber transvenous wire2.97 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 33211

    Temporary pacing, dual-chamber transvenous leads3.06 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 92950

    CPR3.9 wRVU

    $379.10

How to choose

33210Temporary pacingSingle-chamber transvenous wire
Choose 33210 for temporary transvenous single-chamber pacing electrode placement; 92953 is for pacing through surface electrodes.
33211Temporary pacingDual-chamber transvenous leads
33211 describes temporary transvenous dual-chamber pacing electrode placement. It is not the surface-electrode pacing service reported with 92953.
92950CPR
92950 represents CPR; 92953 represents temporary external cardiac pacing. The codes distinguish different interventions, even when both occur in an emergency.

Codes related to 92953

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

Codes related to 92953
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
33210Temporary pacing, single-chamber transvenous wireTemporary transvenous single-chamber pacing uses an electrode placed through a vein rather than surface electrodes.No office rate
33211Temporary pacing, dual-chamber transvenous leadsTemporary transvenous dual-chamber pacing uses transvenous electrodes rather than external surface pacing.No office rate
Often billed with
92950CPRCPR and temporary external pacing may both be performed during the same emergency encounter.$338.96–$490.10

92953 billing questions

How does 92953 differ from temporary transvenous pacing?

92953 is for pacing delivered through surface electrodes and an external generator. Codes 33210 and 33211 describe temporary transvenous pacing electrode services.

Does 92953 include CPR?

No. 92953 represents external pacing, while 92950 represents cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Document the distinct services performed.

Can modifier 50 be used?

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

What same-day care is included in the global period?

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

When is assistant-at-surgery payment allowed?

CMS allows assistant-at-surgery payment only when medical necessity is documented. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

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 92953PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 11,914 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 92953 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets · Coming soon

Put 92953 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.

Join the waitlist