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Billing code 33802: Vessel divisionMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical division of an aberrant vessel, commonly to relieve compression from a congenital vascular ring, without restoring vessel continuity.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $1,045.45 for 33802 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 33802

Vessel division

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
17.91
Total RVUs
31.30
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,045.45

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 33802 → · 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 33802 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 33802 covers

A cardiovascular or thoracic surgeon divides an abnormally positioned vessel to relieve compression of structures such as the esophagus or trachea. A typical setting is operative treatment of a congenital vascular ring, including an aberrant subclavian artery causing swallowing or airway symptoms. The procedure may be performed in a hospital operating room through an open approach.

Select this code when the aberrant vessel is divided and not reconnected; use the related reanastomosis code when continuity is restored. The operative report should identify the vessel and document its division and whether it was reanastomosed. 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 procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; 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 33802 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

33802 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$943.00
Alaska*Unavailable$1,296.20
ArizonaUnavailable$1,014.56
ArkansasUnavailable$930.57
AtlantaUnavailable$1,082.27
AustinUnavailable$1,046.67
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,026.39
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,112.37
BeaumontUnavailable$1,008.06
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,014.42

33802 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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
33802 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 33802 rate is calculated

Each of 33802’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 · 33802

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 17.91Practice expense 8.88Malpractice 4.51

31.3000 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,045.45

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 33802

33802 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 33802

Vessel division

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 · 33802

Vessel division

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

33802 without 51 · national facility

$1,045.45

Vessel division

33802-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$522.73

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

33802 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

33802 vs 33803 vs 33800: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 33802
    Vessel division · 17.91 wRVU
    —
  • 33803
    Aberrant vessel repair · 19.8 wRVU
    —
  • 33800
    Aortopexy · 16.85 wRVU
    —

How to choose

33803Aberrant vessel repair
The key distinction is vessel continuity: 33802 describes division without reconnection, while 33803 includes reanastomosis.
33800Aortopexy
Aortic suspension treats compression related to aortic position; 33802 is for division of an aberrant vessel.

Codes related to 33802

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

Codes related to 33802
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
33803Aberrant vessel repairRelated aberrant-vessel procedure when continuity is restored by reanastomosis.No office rate
Used instead
33800AortopexyAortic suspension may address airway compression from a different anatomic cause.No office rate

33802 billing questions

How do I distinguish this from 33803?

Use 33802 when the aberrant vessel is divided without reconnection. Use 33803 when the surgeon restores continuity by reanastomosis.

What documentation supports this code?

The operative report should identify the aberrant vessel, describe its division, and clarify whether continuity was restored.

Should modifier 50 be reported?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

What postoperative care is included?

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

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 33802PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,076 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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