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Billing code 33120: Cardiac tumor excisionMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical removal of a tumor within a heart chamber using cardiopulmonary bypass, commonly for an intracardiac mass such as an atrial myxoma.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities879 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,951.61 for 33120 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 33120

Cardiac tumor excision

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
37.49
Total RVUs
58.43
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,951.61

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 33120 → · 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 33120 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 33120 covers

A cardiac surgeon removes a tumor located inside a heart chamber during an operation using cardiopulmonary bypass. An atrial myxoma is a typical example. The operation is generally performed in a hospital operating room; the operative report should establish the tumor’s intracardiac location, its removal, and use of bypass. This code distinguishes removal of an intracardiac tumor from excision of a tumor on the heart’s external surface.

Report the code when the documented procedure matches that service, not merely because a cardiac mass was evaluated or treated. Cardiopulmonary bypass is part of the coded service. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this procedure. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team-surgery billing 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 33120 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

33120 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,768.82
Alaska*Unavailable$2,464.54
ArizonaUnavailable$1,895.06
ArkansasUnavailable$1,746.83
AtlantaUnavailable$2,023.66
AustinUnavailable$1,941.60
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,892.25
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$2,073.32
BeaumontUnavailable$1,894.53
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,890.22

33120 rates by state

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

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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
33120 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 33120 rate is calculated

Each of 33120’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 · 33120

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 37.49Practice expense 11.70Malpractice 9.24

58.4300 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,951.61

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 33120

33120 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 33120

Cardiac tumor excision

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 · 33120

Cardiac tumor excision

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

33120 without 51 · national facility

$1,951.61

Cardiac tumor excision

33120-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$975.81

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

33120 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

33120 vs 33130 vs 33140 vs 33141: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 33120
    Cardiac tumor excision · 37.49 wRVU
    —
  • 33130
    Cardiac tumor excision · 23.57 wRVU
    —
  • 33140
    Heart revascularization · 27.63 wRVU
    —
  • 33141
    Heart revascularization · 2.48 wRVU
    —

How to choose

33130Cardiac tumor excision
33130 is for a tumor on the heart’s external surface. 33120 is for an intracardiac tumor removed using cardiopulmonary bypass.
33140Heart revascularization
33140 describes transmyocardial laser revascularization, not removal of a cardiac tumor.
33141Heart revascularization
33141 describes transmyocardial laser revascularization performed with another procedure; it does not describe tumor excision.

Codes related to 33120

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

Codes related to 33120
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
33130Cardiac tumor excisionUse for excision of a tumor on the heart’s external surface rather than within a chamber.No office rate

33120 billing questions

When should 33120 be chosen over 33130?

Use 33120 for a tumor located inside a heart chamber and removed using cardiopulmonary bypass. Code 33130 describes excision of a tumor on the heart’s external surface.

Is cardiopulmonary bypass separately reported with 33120?

Bypass is included in this service’s code definition. The operative report should document its use as part of the tumor excision.

Can modifier 50 be reported?

No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this cardiac tumor excision.

How does the global period affect postoperative billing?

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

What documentation supports assistant or co-surgeon billing?

An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team-surgery billing 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 33120PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,824 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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