Billing code 33542: Heart lesion removalMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports surgical removal of a discrete heart lesion, such as a cardiac mass, when the operative work supports excision rather than repair or ventricular remodeling.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33542 in Alaska.
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 9 sections
What 33542 covers
This code represents a surgeon’s operative removal of a lesion from the heart. A typical clinical situation is excision of a cardiac mass, such as a tumor, during open cardiac surgery. Cardiothoracic surgeons generally perform the procedure in a hospital operating room; the operative report should identify the lesion, its location, and the work used to remove it.
Select the code based on the documented procedure, not the diagnosis alone. The operative note should distinguish lesion excision from repair of damaged heart tissue or a ventricular restoration procedure. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. 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% multiple-procedure reduction. Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
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.
33542 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | Unavailable | $3,098.64 |
How the 33542 rate is calculated
Each of 33542’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 · 33542
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 47.00Practice expense 14.90Malpractice 11.62
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33542
33542 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 33542
Heart lesion removal
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.09/0.84/0.07 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 33542
Heart lesion removal
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
33542 without 51 · national facility
$2,455.63
Heart lesion removal
33542-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,227.82
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%).
33542 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
33542 vs 33120 vs 33130 vs 33548: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 33120Cardiac tumor excision
- This code is for excision of an intracardiac tumor under that code’s specific classification. Choose based on the documented procedure, not simply the presence of a cardiac mass.
- 33130Cardiac tumor excision
- This code classifies intraventricular tumor excision specifically. The operative report’s anatomic site and procedure determine whether it applies instead.
- 33548Ventricular restoration
- This code describes surgical ventricular restoration, not removal of a discrete heart lesion. Use it when ventricular restoration is the procedure performed.
33542 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from codes 33120 and 33130?
Use the code that matches the documented cardiac lesion procedure and its anatomic details. Codes 33120 and 33130 describe more specifically classified intracardiac or intraventricular tumor excisions; do not choose this code based only on a general diagnosis of a heart mass.
Does the 90-day global period include postoperative visits?
Yes. Related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery is included, along with the day-before preoperative visit.
Can this procedure be reported with another cardiac procedure in the same session?
When separately performed procedures are reported together, Medicare applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to a 50% reduction.
Can modifier 50 be used for removal of lesions on both sides?
No. The descriptor and anatomy make bilateral adjustment inappropriate for this code.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should describe the lesion’s location and the surgical work performed to excise it, and should make clear how that work differs from any separately reported repair or ventricular restoration.
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
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