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Billing code 33820: PDA repairMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical closure of a patent ductus arteriosus by ligation, rather than division, during an operative repair.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $925.20 for 33820 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 33820

PDA repair

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
16.27
Total RVUs
27.70
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$925.20

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 33820 → · 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 33820 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 33820 covers

A cardiothoracic surgeon uses this code when surgically closing a patent ductus arteriosus by ligating the vessel. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room for a patient with a persistent connection between the aorta and pulmonary artery; the operative report should identify the ductus and describe the ligation performed. The code distinguishes ligation from repair methods that divide the ductus.

Select the code from the documented operative technique, not simply from the diagnosis of PDA or the patient’s age. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery. When multiple procedures occur 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 not appropriate for this ductus repair. Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid; co-surgeon and team-surgery reporting are not permitted for this service.

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 33820 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

33820 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$835.27
Alaska*Unavailable$1,151.52
ArizonaUnavailable$897.93
ArkansasUnavailable$824.38
AtlantaUnavailable$958.22
AustinUnavailable$924.94
BakersfieldUnavailable$905.65
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$984.17
BeaumontUnavailable$893.44
BrazoriaUnavailable$897.29

33820 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
33820 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 33820 rate is calculated

Each of 33820’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 · 33820

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 16.27Practice expense 7.34Malpractice 4.09

27.7000 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$925.20

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 33820

33820 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 33820

PDA 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)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 · 33820

PDA 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

33820 without 51 · national facility

$925.20

PDA repair

33820-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$462.60

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

33820 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

33820 vs 33822 vs 33824: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 33820
    PDA repair · 16.27 wRVU
    —
  • 33822
    PDA repair · 17.27 wRVU
    —
  • 33824
    PDA repair · 19.72 wRVU
    —

How to choose

33822PDA repair
Use 33822 when the documented PDA repair is by division in a patient younger than 18. This code describes ligation instead.
33824PDA repair
Use 33824 when the documented PDA repair is by division in a patient 18 or older. This code describes ligation instead.

Codes related to 33820

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

Codes related to 33820
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
33822PDA repairPDA repair by division for patients younger than 18, rather than repair by ligation.No office rate
33824PDA repairPDA repair by division for patients 18 or older, rather than repair by ligation.No office rate

33820 billing questions

How does this code differ from 33822 or 33824?

This code is for ligation of the ductus. Codes 33822 and 33824 describe division-based PDA repair, with the age distinction reflected in those codes.

What documentation supports reporting the ligation code?

The operative report should identify the patent ductus arteriosus and document that the surgeon closed it by ligation. A PDA diagnosis alone does not establish the operative method.

Can an assistant surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid for this procedure. CMS does not permit co-surgeon or team-surgery reporting for it.

How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative care?

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

Can modifier 50 be used?

No. Modifier 50 is not appropriate for this ductus repair.

What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.

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 33820PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,080 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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