No office rate
Use 33979 for an implantable intracorporeal device supporting one ventricle; 33975 describes an extracorporeal single-ventricle device.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33979 Ventricular assist device Medicare reimbursement rates
Reports surgical placement of an implantable intracorporeal ventricular assist device configured to support one ventricle, commonly for advanced heart failure. Compare 33979 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 33979?
The service location and office or facility setting determine which base rate applies. These are the supported base rates for the 109 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Where 33979 pays more and less
Cardiac surgery
About 33979: Implantable single-ventricle assist device insertion
Reports surgical placement of an implantable intracorporeal ventricular assist device configured to support one ventricle, commonly for advanced heart failure.
This code describes surgical implantation of an intracorporeal ventricular assist device to support one ventricle. Cardiothoracic surgeons typically perform the operation in a hospital operating room for patients with advanced heart failure who need mechanical circulatory support, such as as a bridge to transplant or longer-term therapy. The operative record should establish that the device is implantable and intracorporeal and identify the ventricle supported.
Select this code for the implanted, single-ventricle configuration; extracorporeal devices and percutaneous catheter-delivered support use different codes. Documentation should describe the device placement and whether support is for one ventricle or both. When multiple procedures subject to the CMS multiple procedure reduction are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are paid at 50%.
CMS billing rules for 33979
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU36.56 · 69%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.38 · 14%
- Malpractice RVU9.01 · 17%
901
Medicare services in 2024 · #3039 by national volume
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.
33979 compared with similar codes
Office rate ranges across all CMS payment localities, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
33976 describes an extracorporeal device configured for biventricular support. 33979 is for an implantable intracorporeal device supporting one ventricle.
No office rate
33990 describes percutaneous insertion of a left-heart assist device through arterial access, rather than surgical implantation of an intracorporeal device.
No office rate
33980 describes removal of an implantable intracorporeal assist device; 33979 reports its insertion.
See how rates vary across the country
33979 · Office / nonfacility · Non-QP. Choose a state to explore its payment localities. A range means the amount varies within that state.
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 all state and territory rates as a table
| State / territory | Rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | No published base rate | 1 |
| AL | No published base rate | 1 |
| AR | No published base rate | 1 |
| AZ | No published base rate | 1 |
| CA | No published base rate | 29 |
| CO | No published base rate | 1 |
| CT | No published base rate | 1 |
| DC | No published base rate | 1 |
| DE | No published base rate | 1 |
| FL | No published base rate | 3 |
| GA | No published base rate | 2 |
| GU | No published base rate | 1 |
| HI | No published base rate | 1 |
| IA | No published base rate | 1 |
| ID | No published base rate | 1 |
| IL | No published base rate | 4 |
| IN | No published base rate | 1 |
| KS | No published base rate | 1 |
| KY | No published base rate | 1 |
| LA | No published base rate | 2 |
| MA | No published base rate | 2 |
| MD | No published base rate | 3 |
| ME | No published base rate | 2 |
| MI | No published base rate | 2 |
| MN | No published base rate | 1 |
| MO | No published base rate | 3 |
| MS | No published base rate | 1 |
| MT | No published base rate | 1 |
| NC | No published base rate | 1 |
| ND | No published base rate | 1 |
| NE | No published base rate | 1 |
| NH | No published base rate | 1 |
| NJ | No published base rate | 2 |
| NM | No published base rate | 1 |
| NV | No published base rate | 1 |
| NY | No published base rate | 5 |
| OH | No published base rate | 1 |
| OK | No published base rate | 1 |
| OR | No published base rate | 2 |
| PA | No published base rate | 2 |
| PR | No published base rate | 1 |
| RI | No published base rate | 1 |
| SC | No published base rate | 1 |
| SD | No published base rate | 1 |
| TN | No published base rate | 1 |
| TX | No published base rate | 8 |
| UT | No published base rate | 1 |
| VA | No published base rate | 2 |
| VI | No published base rate | 1 |
| VT | No published base rate | 1 |
| WA | No published base rate | 2 |
| WI | No published base rate | 1 |
| WV | No published base rate | 1 |
| WY | No published base rate | 1 |
Compare 33979 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
109 of 109 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Office Unavailable | Facility $1607.16 |
| Alaska* | Office Unavailable | Facility $2260.05 |
| Arizona | Office Unavailable | Facility $1717.60 |
| Arkansas | Office Unavailable | Facility $1587.86 |
| Atlanta | Office Unavailable | Facility $1836.67 |
| Austin | Office Unavailable | Facility $1751.01 |
| Bakersfield | Office Unavailable | Facility $1697.77 |
| Baltimore/Surr. Cntys | Office Unavailable | Facility $1877.43 |
| Beaumont | Office Unavailable | Facility $1725.03 |
| Brazoria | Office Unavailable | Facility $1709.92 |
| Chicago | Office Unavailable | Facility $2168.08 |
| Chico | Office Unavailable | Facility $1673.36 |
| Colorado | Office Unavailable | Facility $1733.10 |
| Connecticut | Office Unavailable | Facility $1875.18 |
| Dallas | Office Unavailable | Facility $1735.85 |
| Dc + Md/Va Suburbs | Office Unavailable | Facility $1912.40 |
| Delaware | Office Unavailable | Facility $1741.33 |
| Detroit | Office Unavailable | Facility $1966.40 |
| East St. Louis | Office Unavailable | Facility $2054.01 |
| El Centro | Office Unavailable | Facility $1674.87 |
| Fort Lauderdale | Office Unavailable | Facility $2014.94 |
| Fort Worth | Office Unavailable | Facility $1737.30 |
| Fresno | Office Unavailable | Facility $1673.36 |
| Galveston | Office Unavailable | Facility $1724.86 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | Office Unavailable | Facility $1673.36 |
| Hawaii, Guam | Office Unavailable | Facility $1675.65 |
| Houston | Office Unavailable | Facility $1889.78 |
| Idaho | Office Unavailable | Facility $1590.26 |
| Indiana | Office Unavailable | Facility $1595.90 |
| Iowa | Office Unavailable | Facility $1566.16 |
| Kansas | Office Unavailable | Facility $1595.65 |
| Kentucky | Office Unavailable | Facility $1715.64 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $1762.64 |
| Madera | Office Unavailable | Facility $1673.36 |
| Manhattan | Office Unavailable | Facility $2063.02 |
| Merced | Office Unavailable | Facility $1673.36 |
| Metropolitan Boston | Office Unavailable | Facility $1833.36 |
| Metropolitan Kansas City | Office Unavailable | Facility $1746.62 |
| Metropolitan Philadelphia | Office Unavailable | Facility $1858.75 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis | Office Unavailable | Facility $1757.35 |
| Miami | Office Unavailable | Facility $2238.82 |
| Minnesota | Office Unavailable | Facility $1563.86 |
| Mississippi | Office Unavailable | Facility $1655.77 |
| Modesto | Office Unavailable | Facility $1673.36 |
| Montana** | Office Unavailable | Facility $1767.98 |
| Napa | Office Unavailable | Facility $1775.83 |
| Nebraska | Office Unavailable | Facility $1562.41 |
| Nevada** | Office Unavailable | Facility $1718.57 |
| New Hampshire | Office Unavailable | Facility $1741.07 |
| New Mexico | Office Unavailable | Facility $1808.61 |
| New Orleans | Office Unavailable | Facility $1794.96 |
| North Carolina | Office Unavailable | Facility $1643.42 |
| North Dakota** | Office Unavailable | Facility $1589.82 |
| Northern Nj | Office Unavailable | Facility $1905.41 |
| Nyc Suburbs/Long Island | Office Unavailable | Facility $2151.23 |
| Ohio | Office Unavailable | Facility $1749.54 |
| Oklahoma | Office Unavailable | Facility $1675.09 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | Office Unavailable | Facility $1734.18 |
| Portland | Office Unavailable | Facility $1738.44 |
| Poughkpsie/N Nyc Suburbs | Office Unavailable | Facility $1910.14 |
| Puerto Rico | Office Unavailable | Facility $1766.78 |
| Queens | Office Unavailable | Facility $2024.61 |
| Redding | Office Unavailable | Facility $1673.36 |
| Rest Of California | Office Unavailable | Facility $1673.36 |
| Rest Of Florida | Office Unavailable | Facility $1909.11 |
| Rest Of Georgia | Office Unavailable | Facility $1799.74 |
| Rest Of Illinois | Office Unavailable | Facility $1916.56 |
| Rest Of Louisiana | Office Unavailable | Facility $1727.59 |
| Rest Of Maine | Office Unavailable | Facility $1635.10 |
| Rest Of Maryland | Office Unavailable | Facility $1759.07 |
| Rest Of Massachusetts | Office Unavailable | Facility $1740.09 |
| Rest Of Michigan | Office Unavailable | Facility $1785.95 |
| Rest Of Missouri | Office Unavailable | Facility $1726.74 |
| Rest Of New Jersey | Office Unavailable | Facility $1869.29 |
| Rest Of New York | Office Unavailable | Facility $1666.87 |
| Rest Of Oregon | Office Unavailable | Facility $1678.21 |
| Rest Of Pennsylvania | Office Unavailable | Facility $1731.81 |
| Rest Of Texas | Office Unavailable | Facility $1726.81 |
| Rest Of Washington | Office Unavailable | Facility $1725.59 |
| Rhode Island | Office Unavailable | Facility $1767.41 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | Office Unavailable | Facility $1769.98 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Office Unavailable | Facility $1713.08 |
| Salinas | Office Unavailable | Facility $1705.99 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | Office Unavailable | Facility $1715.69 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $1822.84 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $1812.61 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $1872.22 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $1830.39 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Office Unavailable | Facility $1683.96 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | Office Unavailable | Facility $1707.58 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Office Unavailable | Facility $1704.05 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | Office Unavailable | Facility $1721.78 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | Office Unavailable | Facility $1830.52 |
| South Carolina | Office Unavailable | Facility $1704.70 |
| South Dakota** | Office Unavailable | Facility $1568.75 |
| Southern Maine | Office Unavailable | Facility $1655.31 |
| Stockton | Office Unavailable | Facility $1673.36 |
| Suburban Chicago | Office Unavailable | Facility $2016.11 |
| Tennessee | Office Unavailable | Facility $1606.81 |
| Utah | Office Unavailable | Facility $1723.09 |
| Vallejo | Office Unavailable | Facility $1761.09 |
| Vermont | Office Unavailable | Facility $1617.45 |
| Virgin Islands | Office Unavailable | Facility $1766.78 |
| Virginia | Office Unavailable | Facility $1675.91 |
| Visalia | Office Unavailable | Facility $1673.36 |
| West Virginia | Office Unavailable | Facility $1865.99 |
| Wisconsin | Office Unavailable | Facility $1549.97 |
| Wyoming** | Office Unavailable | Facility $1690.33 |
| Yuba City | Office Unavailable | Facility $1673.36 |
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33979 billing questions
When should 33979 be selected?
Use it for surgical implantation of an intracorporeal assist device configured to support one ventricle. The operative report should support the implantable device type and single-ventricle configuration.
How does 33979 differ from 33975 or 33976?
33979 describes an implantable intracorporeal device. Codes 33975 and 33976 describe extracorporeal devices, with the latter supporting both ventricles.
How does 33979 differ from 33990 or 33991?
33979 is for surgical implantation of an intracorporeal device. Codes 33990 and 33991 describe percutaneous left-heart assist device insertion using different access configurations.
Should 33979 be used for device removal or pump replacement?
No. Code 33980 describes removal of an implantable intracorporeal device, while 33982 and 33983 describe pump replacement procedures.
How is 33979 paid when other procedures occur in the same session?
Under the CMS multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50%.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
4,16033976,,Implant ventricular device,A,,29.98,6.15,NA,6.15,,7.20,43.33,43.33,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,2,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16133977,,Remove ventricular device,A,,20.34,5.71,NA,5.71,,4.95,31.00,31.00,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16233978,,Remove ventricular device,A,,24.38,6.81,NA,6.81,,5.84,37.03,37.03,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,2,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16333979,,Insert intracorporeal device,A,,36.56,7.38,NA,7.38,,9.01,52.95,52.95,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16433980,,Remove intracorporeal device,A,,32.66,8.26,NA,8.26,,8.07,48.99,48.99,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16533981,,Replace vad pump ext,A,,15.71,3.23,NA,3.23,,3.75,22.69,22.69,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16633982,,Replace vad intra w/o bp,A,,36.91,7.57,NA,7.57,,8.85,53.33,53.33,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00