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Billing code 33271: Defibrillator electrodeMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports placement of a subcutaneous implantable defibrillator electrode when the electrode is inserted separately from a complete system implantation.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities25 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $406.15 for 33271 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 33271

Defibrillator electrode

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
7.31
Total RVUs
12.16
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$406.15

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 33271 → · 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 33271 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 33271 covers

An electrophysiologist or other qualified cardiac surgeon places the defibrillator electrode beneath the skin, commonly along the sternum, for a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator system. The electrode may be placed as a distinct or staged procedure rather than as part of implanting the complete system. This is typically performed in a hospital or other procedural facility; it is not the code for implanting the pulse generator and electrode together as a complete system.

Report 33271 for the electrode insertion itself, and document the subcutaneous electrode placement and whether a generator was implanted during the same procedure. The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this anatomy and service. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; 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 33271 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

33271 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$367.84
Alaska*Unavailable$508.72
ArizonaUnavailable$394.53
ArkansasUnavailable$363.21
AtlantaUnavailable$420.29
AustinUnavailable$405.99
BakersfieldUnavailable$397.88
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$431.47
BeaumontUnavailable$392.69
BrazoriaUnavailable$394.32

33271 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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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
33271 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 33271 rate is calculated

Each of 33271’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 · 33271

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 7.31Practice expense 3.10Malpractice 1.75

12.1600 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$406.15

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 33271

33271 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 33271

Defibrillator electrode

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)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
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 · 33271

Defibrillator electrode

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

33271 without 51 · national facility

$406.15

Defibrillator electrode

33271-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$203.08

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

33271 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

33271 vs 33270 vs 33272 vs 33273 vs 33262: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 33271
    Defibrillator electrode · 7.31 wRVU
    —
  • 33270
    Defibrillator implant · 8.87 wRVU
    —
  • 33272
    Defibrillator removal · 5.28 wRVU
    —
  • 33273
    S-ICD electrode · 6.34 wRVU
    —
  • 33262
    Defibrillator exchange · 5.66 wRVU
    —

How to choose

33270Defibrillator implant
Choose 33271 for insertion of the electrode separately; choose 33270 when the procedure implants or replaces the complete subcutaneous system, including the pulse generator.
33272Defibrillator removal
33272 describes removal of a subcutaneous defibrillator electrode. It does not describe placing a new electrode.
33273S-ICD electrode
33273 describes repositioning an electrode that is already implanted; 33271 reports electrode insertion.
33262Defibrillator exchange
33262 concerns pulse-generator removal and replacement for a one-lead defibrillator system. It is not the code for inserting a subcutaneous defibrillator electrode.

Codes related to 33271

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

Codes related to 33271
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
33270Defibrillator implantUsed for implantation or replacement of the complete subcutaneous defibrillator system, including the electrode and pulse generator.No office rate
Same family
33272Defibrillator removalReports removal of a subcutaneous defibrillator electrode rather than its insertion.No office rate
33273S-ICD electrodeReports repositioning an already implanted subcutaneous defibrillator electrode.No office rate

33271 billing questions

How is 33271 different from 33270?

33271 reports insertion of the subcutaneous defibrillator electrode separately. Use 33270 when the procedure implants or replaces the complete subcutaneous defibrillator system, including its electrode and pulse generator.

Does 33271 include pulse-generator placement?

No. The service represented by 33271 is electrode insertion; 33270 describes implantation or replacement of the complete system, including the generator.

What documentation supports 33271?

Document the electrode insertion, its subcutaneous placement, and whether a pulse generator was implanted during the procedure. The record should distinguish an electrode-only procedure from complete system implantation.

Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral electrode insertion?

No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code because the descriptor and anatomy do not support bilateral reporting.

Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?

Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 33271, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.

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 33271PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,894 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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