Billing code 33840: Coarctation repairMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $1,185.40 for 33840 nationally in a facility.

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 33840 covers

The surgeon removes the narrowed segment of the aorta and reconnects the remaining ends directly, creating an end-to-end anastomosis. This operation treats aortic coarctation, usually a congenital narrowing, and is typically performed by a congenital cardiac or cardiothoracic surgeon in a hospital operating room. Patients are often infants or children, though coarctation may be repaired later in life.

Choose this code when the operative report supports excision of the coarctation and direct anastomosis, rather than reconstruction with an interposition graft or patch. The 90-day global period includes 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 others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation. Team surgery is not permitted, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this anatomy.

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 33840 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

33840 rates by state

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

How the 33840 rate is calculated

Each of 33840’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 33840

33840 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

33840 compared with similar codes

How to choose

33845Coarctation repair

Both address aortic coarctation excision, but 33845 is for reconstruction with a graft; 33840 requires direct reconnection of the aortic ends.

33851Coarctation repair

Choose 33851 for the specified left subclavian artery or prosthetic patch repair, rather than the direct end-to-end anastomosis reported with 33840.

33852Aortic arch repair

Code 33852 describes repair of a hypoplastic aortic arch without bypass. Code 33840 describes excision of a coarctation with direct anastomosis.

33853Aortic arch repair

Code 33853 describes repair of a hypoplastic aortic arch with bypass; 33840 is for coarctation excision and direct anastomosis.

Codes related to 33840

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

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates