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CPT code 92970: Cardioassist2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Report percutaneous internal circulatory assistance, such as intra-aortic balloon pumping, for the initial setup and monitoring of mechanical cardiac support.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $163.00 for 92970 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 92970

Cardioassist

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
3.42
Total RVUs
4.88
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$163.00

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 92970 →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.

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 92970 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 92970 covers

CPT 92970 describes percutaneous internal circulatory assistance, including initial setup and monitoring of support such as intra-aortic balloon pumping. Cardiologists and other physicians managing mechanical cardiac support may provide this service in a catheterization laboratory or hospital setting when a patient needs circulatory support. The focus is the assistance service, not simply the placement or removal of the balloon-pump device.

Report the service when the documented work supports internal percutaneous assistance and its setup and monitoring; distinguish it from external counterpulsation reported with 92971. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. Do not append modifier 50: this is not a right-and-left service. An assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 92970 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

92970 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$148.44
AlaskaUnavailable$209.20
ArizonaUnavailable$158.39
ArkansasUnavailable$146.70
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$169.19
Austin, TXUnavailable$161.34
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$156.51
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$172.88
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$159.13
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$157.69

92970 rates by state

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

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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
92970 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 92970 rate is calculated

Each of 92970’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 · 92970

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work3.42

3.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense0.64

0.64 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.82

0.82 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

4.8800

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$163.00

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 92970

The CMS indicators that decide how 92970 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 92970

Cardioassist

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures0No multiple-procedure reduction.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

92970 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 92970

    Cardioassist3.42 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 92971

    Cardiac assist1.73 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 33967

    Balloon pump insertion4.72 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 92953

    External pacing0.01 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

92971Cardiac assist
92970 is for percutaneous internal circulatory assistance, such as intra-aortic balloon pumping; 92971 is for external assistance.
33967Balloon pump insertion
33967 represents percutaneous insertion of an intra-aortic balloon assist device. 92970 represents the circulatory-assistance service, including setup and monitoring.
92953External pacing
92953 describes temporary external pacing to support heart rate. 92970 describes mechanical circulatory assistance, not electrical pacing.

Codes related to 92970

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

Codes related to 92970
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
92971Cardiac assistRelated cardioassist service for external rather than percutaneous internal circulatory support.No office rate
Often billed with
33967Balloon pump insertionDescribes percutaneous insertion of an intra-aortic balloon assist device.No office rate
33968Balloon removalDescribes percutaneous removal of an intra-aortic balloon assist device.No office rate

92970 billing questions

How do I choose between 92970 and 92971?

Use 92970 for percutaneous internal circulatory assistance, such as intra-aortic balloon pumping. Use 92971 for external circulatory assistance.

Does 92970 describe balloon-pump insertion?

92970 describes the circulatory-assistance service, including initial setup and monitoring. CPT 33967 describes percutaneous insertion of an intra-aortic balloon assist device.

Should modifier 50 be appended?

No. The service is not reported as bilateral work, so modifier 50 is inappropriate.

What documentation supports an assistant-at-surgery payment?

Document the medical necessity for the assistant's participation. Assistant-at-surgery payment is conditional on that documentation.

Are co-surgeons or team surgery reportable?

No. CMS lists co-surgeons and team surgery as not permitted for this code.

What same-day care is included in the global period?

The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and 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 92970PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 11,917 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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