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Billing code 33030: PericardiectomyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical removal of part of the pericardium, commonly to relieve constrictive pericarditis when the operation is not radical.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities223 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,877.80 for 33030 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 33030

Pericardiectomy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
35.1
Total RVUs
56.22
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,877.80

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 33030 → · 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.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 33030 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 33030 covers

A cardiac or thoracic surgeon removes a portion of the pericardium, the sac surrounding the heart. The operation is commonly performed for constrictive pericarditis, when thickened, scarred, or calcified pericardium restricts the heart’s filling. It takes place in an operating room and may involve an open chest approach. The documented extent of tissue removal distinguishes a partial or subtotal operation from a more extensive resection.

Report this code when the operative note supports partial or subtotal pericardial removal; the diagnosis alone does not establish the extent. Include the indication, operative approach, and tissue removed in the record. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this anatomy. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 33030 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

33030 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,699.83
Alaska*Unavailable$2,360.48
ArizonaUnavailable$1,823.09
ArkansasUnavailable$1,678.37
AtlantaUnavailable$1,946.36
AustinUnavailable$1,871.08
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,826.28
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,995.71
BeaumontUnavailable$1,819.83
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,819.51

33030 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
33030 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 33030 rate is calculated

Each of 33030’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 · 33030

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 35.10Practice expense 12.42Malpractice 8.70

56.2200 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,877.80

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 33030

33030 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 33030

Pericardiectomy

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are 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)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.09/0.84/0.07Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 33030

Pericardiectomy

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

33030 without 51 · national facility

$1,877.80

Pericardiectomy

33030-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$938.90

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

33030 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

33030 vs 33031 vs 33025 vs 33020 vs 33016: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 33030
    Pericardiectomy · 35.1 wRVU
    —
  • 33031
    Pericardiectomy · 43.88 wRVU
    —
  • 33025
    Pericardial window · 12.87 wRVU
    —
  • 33020
    Pericardiotomy · 13.95 wRVU
    —
  • 33016
    Pericardiocentesis · 4.29 wRVU
    —

How to choose

33031Pericardiectomy
33030 is for partial or subtotal pericardial removal. Choose 33031 when the documented operation is a radical pericardiectomy.
33025Pericardial window
33025 creates a pericardial window to permit drainage; 33030 reports partial or subtotal removal of pericardium.
33020Pericardiotomy
33020 describes pericardial incision, with or without drainage. It does not represent the partial or subtotal resection reported with 33030.
33016Pericardiocentesis
33016 is image-guided needle drainage of the pericardial space. It is distinct from operative removal of pericardial tissue.

Codes related to 33030

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

Codes related to 33030
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
33031PericardiectomyPericardiectomy code for a more extensive radical resection.No office rate
Used instead
33025Pericardial windowCreates a pericardial window for drainage rather than partial pericardial removal.No office rate
33020PericardiotomyIncision of the pericardium with or without drainage, rather than tissue removal.No office rate
33016PericardiocentesisImage-guided pericardiocentesis for drainage by needle rather than surgical resection.No office rate

33030 billing questions

How is this code distinguished from 33031?

Use 33030 for partial or subtotal removal. Code 33031 represents a radical pericardiectomy; the operative documentation should support the extent performed.

When would 33025 be considered instead?

Code 33025 describes creation of a pericardial window for drainage. Code 33030 is for removal of part of the pericardium, rather than a drainage window.

Does the 90-day global period include postoperative visits?

Yes. The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

Can modifier 50 be appended?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code because of the descriptor or anatomy.

How are assistant and co-surgeon services treated?

An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 33030PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,821 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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