Billing code 33600: Valve closureMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports surgical closure of a cardiac valve with cardiopulmonary bypass during an operation to treat congenital heart anatomy.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33600 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 33600 covers
This code describes an operation in which a cardiac surgeon closes a valve opening using cardiopulmonary bypass. It is distinct from an operation that repairs a valve to preserve its function or replaces it with a prosthesis. The operative report should identify the valve, the reason for intentionally closing it, and the surgical approach; the clinical context may be repair or palliation of congenital heart disease.
Report the code when the documented procedure matches valve closure with bypass, rather than the no-bypass variant or a different cardiac repair. CMS 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 payment may be made; 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.
33600 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | Unavailable | $2,032.90 |
How the 33600 rate is calculated
Each of 33600’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 · 33600
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 29.55Practice expense 11.68Malpractice 7.44
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33600
33600 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 33600
Valve closure
| 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 · 33600
Valve closure
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
33600 without 51 · national facility
$1,625.62
Valve closure
33600-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$812.81
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%).
33600 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
33600 vs 33602 vs 33641: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
33600 billing questions
How does 33600 differ from 33602?
33600 is the closure procedure performed with cardiopulmonary bypass; 33602 is the related no-bypass variant. The operative report must support the approach performed.
Is 33600 a valve repair or replacement?
It represents surgical closure of a cardiac valve, not reconstruction to preserve valve function or prosthetic valve replacement. Choose a repair or replacement code when that is what the surgeon performed.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related 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
Fee sheets
Put 33600 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 →