FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 92986: Aortic valvuloplastyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports catheter-based balloon dilation of a stenotic aortic valve, commonly performed in a cardiac catheterization laboratory as palliation or a bridge to further treatment.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities1.9K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,168.03 for 92986 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 92986

Aortic valvuloplasty

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
22.04
Total RVUs
34.97
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,168.03

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 92986 → · 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 92986 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 92986 covers

An interventional cardiologist uses a catheter-mounted balloon to widen a narrowed aortic valve. The procedure is performed in a cardiac catheterization laboratory and may be used for severe aortic stenosis when temporary relief is sought, including as a bridge to valve replacement or as palliation. It is distinct from replacing the valve with a prosthetic valve.

Report this code when the balloon dilation is performed on the aortic valve; the valve treated and the procedure should be clear in the operative or catheterization report. The code has a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. 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 92986 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

92986 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,060.69
Alaska*Unavailable$1,475.42
ArizonaUnavailable$1,135.13
ArkansasUnavailable$1,047.73
AtlantaUnavailable$1,209.09
AustinUnavailable$1,164.85
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,139.38
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,239.65
BeaumontUnavailable$1,132.44
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,133.60

92986 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
92986 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 92986 rate is calculated

Each of 92986’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 · 92986

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 22.04Practice expense 7.76Malpractice 5.17

34.9700 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,168.03

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 92986

92986 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 92986

Aortic valvuloplasty

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)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
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 · 92986

Aortic valvuloplasty

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

92986 without 51 · national facility

$1,168.03

Aortic valvuloplasty

92986-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$584.02

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

92986 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

92986 vs 92987 vs 92990 vs 33361 vs 33405: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 92986
    Aortic valvuloplasty · 22.04 wRVU
    —
  • 92987
    Mitral valvuloplasty · 22.8 wRVU
    —
  • 92990
    Valve dilation · 17.81 wRVU
    —
  • 33361
    TAVR · 21.91 wRVU
    —
  • 33405
    Aortic valve replacement · 40.29 wRVU
    —

How to choose

92987Mitral valvuloplasty
Use 92987 when the balloon dilation treats the mitral valve; 92986 identifies treatment of the aortic valve.
92990Valve dilation
Use 92990 for balloon dilation of the pulmonary valve, not the aortic valve.
33361TAVR
Code 33361 describes transcatheter aortic valve replacement by a percutaneous femoral artery approach; 92986 is balloon dilation without valve replacement.
33405Aortic valve replacement
Code 33405 is surgical aortic valve replacement with cardiopulmonary bypass, unlike catheter-based balloon dilation reported with 92986.

Codes related to 92986

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

Codes related to 92986
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
92987Mitral valvuloplastyThe corresponding percutaneous balloon valve procedure for the mitral valve.No office rate
92990Valve dilationThe corresponding percutaneous balloon valve procedure for the pulmonary valve.No office rate
Used instead
33361TAVRTranscatheter aortic valve replacement rather than balloon dilation.No office rate
33405Aortic valve replacementSurgical aortic valve replacement with cardiopulmonary bypass.No office rate

92986 billing questions

How is this code distinguished from 92987 or 92990?

Select by the valve treated: 92986 is for the aortic valve, 92987 for the mitral valve, and 92990 for the pulmonary valve.

Is this code for aortic valve replacement?

No. It reports balloon dilation of the native aortic valve; valve replacement, whether surgical or transcatheter, is a different procedure.

What documentation supports reporting 92986?

The procedure report should identify the aortic valve as the treatment site and describe the catheter-based balloon dilation performed.

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

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

Can an assistant-at-surgery be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when medical necessity is documented. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

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 92986PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 11,928 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 92986 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 92986 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.

Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →