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Billing code 33275: Pacemaker removalMedicare rate & RVUs

Removal of an implanted leadless pacemaker by catheter retrieval with imaging guidance, typically performed when the device must be explanted.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities72 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $447.24 for 33275 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 33275

Pacemaker removal

Work RVUs
8.38
Total RVUs
13.39
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$447.24

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 33275 →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 33275 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 33275 covers

This service removes a permanent leadless pacemaker positioned inside the heart. An electrophysiologist typically accesses the device through a femoral vein and uses a catheter-based retrieval tool, often with fluoroscopic guidance, to disengage and withdraw it. Removal may be needed for device malfunction, infection, or a change in pacing strategy. The procedure is generally performed in a hospital electrophysiology or catheterization laboratory.

Report 33275 for the leadless-device extraction; imaging guidance is included in the service. Documentation should identify the implanted device, the reason for removal, the retrieval approach, and the work performed. If a new leadless pacemaker is placed during the same session, 33274 describes that separate insertion or replacement service when supported. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; 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 33275 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

33275 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$405.68
Alaska*Unavailable$563.73
ArizonaUnavailable$434.50
ArkansasUnavailable$400.66
AtlantaUnavailable$463.11
AustinUnavailable$446.01
BakersfieldUnavailable$436.09
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$474.89
BeaumontUnavailable$433.45
BrazoriaUnavailable$433.88

33275 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
33275 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 33275 rate is calculated

Each of 33275’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 · 33275

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work8.38

8.38 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense3.01

3.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice2.00

2.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

13.3900

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$447.24

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 33275

33275 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 33275

Pacemaker removal

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 · 33275

Pacemaker removal

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.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned 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

33275 without 51 · national facility

$447.24

Pacemaker removal

33275-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$223.62

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

33275 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

  • 33275

    Pacemaker removal8.38 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 33274

    Leadless pacemaker7.61 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 33234

    Pacemaker lead removal7.47 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 33233

    Pacemaker generator removal3.06 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

33274Leadless pacemaker
33275 removes an existing leadless pacemaker. Use 33274 for insertion or replacement of a leadless pacemaker.
33234Pacemaker lead removal
33234 addresses removal of a transvenous pacemaker electrode in a single-lead system; 33275 is for catheter retrieval of the leadless device itself.
33233Pacemaker generator removal
33233 removes a conventional pacemaker pulse generator. 33275 removes a leadless pacemaker implanted inside the heart.

Codes related to 33275

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

Codes related to 33275
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Often billed with
33274Leadless pacemakerDescribes insertion or replacement of a leadless pacemaker when a new device is placed during the session.No office rate
Used instead
33234Pacemaker lead removalRemoval of a single transvenous pacemaker electrode, rather than a leadless device.No office rate
33235Pacemaker lead removalRemoval of transvenous pacemaker electrodes in a dual-lead system.No office rate
33233Pacemaker generator removalRemoval of a conventional pacemaker pulse generator, not an intracardiac leadless pacemaker.No office rate

33275 billing questions

How is 33275 different from 33234 or 33235?

33275 is for catheter removal of a leadless pacemaker inside the heart. Codes 33234 and 33235 describe removal of transvenous pacemaker electrodes in conventional lead systems.

Can 33274 be reported when a replacement device is implanted?

When a new leadless pacemaker is inserted or replaced during the same session, 33274 describes that service. The record should support both the removal and the new implantation.

Can imaging guidance be billed separately with 33275?

Imaging guidance is included in 33275, so it is not separately reported as part of this removal service.

What documentation supports 33275?

Document that the device is leadless, why it required removal, the catheter retrieval approach, and the extraction work performed. Include the outcome or any complication when relevant.

How does the global period affect postoperative billing?

The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care through the 90-day period. In a session with multiple procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others receive the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be billed for this procedure?

CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for 33275. 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 33275PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,898 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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