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Billing code 33779: Arterial switch repairMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports definitive transposition of the great arteries repair using aortic-pulmonary reconstruction when a previously placed pulmonary artery band is removed.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $2,143.00 for 33779 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 33779

Arterial switch repair

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
42.15
Total RVUs
64.16
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$2,143.00

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 33779 → · 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 33779 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 33779 covers

This code describes congenital heart surgery to correct transposition of the great arteries through reconstruction of the aortic and pulmonary artery pathways, with removal of a pulmonary artery band placed during an earlier stage of treatment. The reconstruction is generally an arterial switch-type repair that restores the great arteries to the appropriate ventricular connections. A cardiothoracic surgeon performs the operation in a hospital operating room, often as definitive repair after staged management of the congenital defect.

Select this code when the operative report supports both the aortic-pulmonary reconstruction and removal of the pulmonary artery band. Documentation should identify the transposition repair, the reconstruction performed, and the band removal; band removal is included in this service. The procedure has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeons require 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 33779 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

33779 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,941.29
Alaska*Unavailable$2,712.04
ArizonaUnavailable$2,080.05
ArkansasUnavailable$1,917.09
AtlantaUnavailable$2,224.73
AustinUnavailable$2,127.33
BakersfieldUnavailable$2,067.25
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$2,277.48
BeaumontUnavailable$2,083.59
BrazoriaUnavailable$2,072.66

33779 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.

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View every state and territory as a table
33779 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 33779 rate is calculated

Each of 33779’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 · 33779

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 42.15Practice expense 11.37Malpractice 10.64

64.1600 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$2,143.00

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 33779

33779 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 33779

Arterial switch repair

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 · 33779

Arterial switch repair

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

33779 without 51 · national facility

$2,143.00

Arterial switch repair

33779-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$1,071.50

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

33779 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

33779 vs 33778 vs 33780 vs 33781 vs 33775: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 33779
    Arterial switch repair · 42.15 wRVU
    —
  • 33778
    Arterial switch repair · 41.68 wRVU
    —
  • 33780
    Transposition repair · 42.8 wRVU
    —
  • 33781
    Transposition repair · 42.13 wRVU
    —
  • 33775
    Atrial switch repair · 32.17 wRVU
    —

How to choose

33778Arterial switch repair
Choose 33779 when pulmonary artery band removal accompanies the aortic-pulmonary reconstruction. The related 33778 code describes that reconstruction without the band-removal distinction.
33780Transposition repair
33780 identifies reconstruction repair with closure of a ventricular septal defect. 33779 is distinguished by removal of a pulmonary artery band.
33781Transposition repair
33781 identifies reconstruction repair with treatment of subpulmonary obstruction. 33779 applies when the documented distinguishing work is pulmonary artery band removal.
33775Atrial switch repair
33775 is an atrial baffle repair that includes pulmonary artery band removal. Use 33779 for the aortic-pulmonary reconstruction approach.

Codes related to 33779

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

Codes related to 33779
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
33778Arterial switch repairAortic-pulmonary reconstruction for transposition without the band-removal distinction.No office rate
33780Transposition repairRelated reconstruction repair that includes closure of a ventricular septal defect.No office rate
33781Transposition repairRelated reconstruction repair that also addresses subpulmonary obstruction.No office rate
Used instead
33775Atrial switch repairAtrial baffle repair with pulmonary artery band removal, rather than aortic-pulmonary reconstruction.No office rate

33779 billing questions

How is 33779 different from 33778?

Both describe transposition repair with aortic-pulmonary reconstruction. Use 33779 when the operation also removes a pulmonary artery band; 33778 is the related reconstruction code without that band-removal distinction.

Is pulmonary artery band removal separately reported?

Band removal is part of the service described by 33779. Do not separately report the removal as an additional procedure merely because the surgeon documents that operative step.

Does 33779 describe an atrial baffle repair?

No. It describes transposition repair with aortic-pulmonary reconstruction and band removal. The atrial baffle approach is represented by a different code family, including 33775 when band removal is part of that repair.

Can modifier 50 be used?

No. The bilateral adjustment is inappropriate for this repair; report the operation as performed rather than treating it as a bilateral service.

What postoperative care is included?

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

What documentation supports co-surgeon billing?

Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation. The operative record should substantiate the co-surgeon roles and the need for their participation.

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 33779PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,067 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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