Use 33875 for open graft repair of the descending thoracic segment. Use 33877 when the repair extends into the thoracoabdominal aorta and includes visceral artery reconstruction.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33875 Aortic graft Medicare reimbursement rates in Arkansas
Open replacement of the descending thoracic aorta with a graft, reported for repair of aneurysmal or other disease involving this segment. Compare 33875 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Arkansas.
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 33875 in Arkansas?
Arkansas has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$2270.33
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Arkansas
One mapped payment locality.
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.
Aortic surgery
About 33875: Open descending thoracic aortic graft
Open replacement of the descending thoracic aorta with a graft, reported for repair of aneurysmal or other disease involving this segment.
A cardiothoracic or vascular surgeon replaces a diseased portion of the descending thoracic aorta with a graft through an open operation, typically using a thoracic incision. Common indications include a descending thoracic aneurysm or dissection. The operation may use bypass support, but bypass is not required for reporting this graft procedure.
Select this code when the open graft repair involves the descending thoracic aorta; document the treated segment, the condition repaired, the graft reconstruction, and any bypass used. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple procedure reduction. Bilateral adjustment is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons are permitted; team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 33875
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU49.45 · 65%
- Practice expense (office) RVU14.17 · 19%
- Malpractice RVU12.33 · 16%
108
Medicare services in 2024 · #4820 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.
33875 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Arkansas, from the same CMS release.
This code describes open graft replacement; 33880 describes endovascular descending thoracic repair involving coverage of the left subclavian origin.
This code describes open graft replacement; 33881 describes endovascular descending thoracic repair without coverage of the left subclavian origin.
Code 33871 concerns graft repair of the transverse aortic arch. Code 33875 is for the descending thoracic aorta.
Compare 33875 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.
1 of 1 payment localities
Arkansas →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$2270.33
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 33875 in Arkansas.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
4,097
- Code
- 33875
- Physician work
- 49.45
- Practice expense
- 14.17
- Malpractice
- 12.33
GPCI2026.csv
7
- Locality
- Arkansas
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.859
- Malpractice
- 0.515
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 49.45 | × 1.000 | 49.4500 |
| Practice expense | 14.17 | × 0.859 | 12.1720 |
| Malpractice | 12.33 | × 0.515 | 6.3499 |
| Total RVUs | 67.9720 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Arkansas$2270.33
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 49.45 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 14.17 | 0.859 |
| Malpractice | 12.33 | 0.515 |
(49.45 × 1 + 14.17 × 0.859 + 12.33 × 0.515) × $33.4009 = $2270.33
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
33875 billing questions
How is this distinguished from 33877?
Report 33875 for open graft repair of the descending thoracic aorta. Code 33877 is for thoracoabdominal repair extending into the abdominal aorta with visceral artery reconstruction.
When should an endovascular code be considered instead?
Codes 33880 and 33881 describe endovascular descending thoracic aortic repair rather than open graft replacement. Their distinction includes whether the repair covers the left subclavian origin.
Does the operation require bypass?
No. The graft repair may be performed with or without bypass; document the operative approach and support used.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons for this code. 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.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral repair?
No. Bilateral adjustment is inappropriate for this code and anatomy.
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.
