No office rate
Choose 33984 for removal of peripheral ECMO/ECLS cannulae. Choose 33985 for open removal of central cannulae.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33985 ECMO cannula removal Medicare reimbursement rates in Arkansas
Reports open removal of central cannulae after ECMO or ECLS support, when the patient is ready to be decannulated from central access. Compare 33985 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 33985 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
$423.00
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.
ECMO/ECLS surgery
About 33985: Open removal of central ECMO cannulae
Reports open removal of central cannulae after ECMO or ECLS support, when the patient is ready to be decannulated from central access.
This service covers open removal of central cannulae used for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or extracorporeal life support. It is typically performed by a cardiac or cardiothoracic surgeon when support ends and the central cannulae, such as those placed in the heart or great vessels, can be removed. Central access is distinct from peripheral access, such as cannulation through a femoral vessel.
Select the code based on central cannula removal by the open approach, not the original cannulation site alone. The operative report should identify the cannulae removed, their central location, the open approach, and the decannulation performed. The service has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires medical-necessity documentation; co-surgeon and team-surgery payment require supporting documentation.
CMS billing rules for 33985
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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 is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery paid only with supporting documentation.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU9.64 · 68%
- Practice expense (office) RVU2.13 · 15%
- Malpractice RVU2.32 · 16%
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.
33985 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Arkansas, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Both codes concern central ECMO/ECLS cannula removal; 33985 is the open approach, while 33986 is the percutaneous approach.
No office rate
33946 reports ECMO/ECLS initiation, not removal of cannulae when support ends.
No office rate
33947 is an ECMO/ECLS initiation service; use 33985 for open removal of central cannulae.
Compare 33985 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
$423.00
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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 33985 in Arkansas.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
4,169
- Code
- 33985
- Physician work
- 9.64
- Practice expense
- 2.13
- Malpractice
- 2.32
GPCI2026.csv
7
- Locality
- Arkansas
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.859
- Malpractice
- 0.515
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 9.64 | × 1.000 | 9.6400 |
| Practice expense | 2.13 | × 0.859 | 1.8297 |
| Malpractice | 2.32 | × 0.515 | 1.1948 |
| Total RVUs | 12.6645 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Arkansas$423.00
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 9.64 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 2.13 | 0.859 |
| Malpractice | 2.32 | 0.515 |
(9.64 × 1 + 2.13 × 0.859 + 2.32 × 0.515) × $33.4009 = $423.00
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.
33985 billing questions
How do I distinguish this from 33984?
Code 33985 is for open removal of central ECMO/ECLS cannulae. Code 33984 is for removal of peripheral cannulae.
How does 33986 differ?
33986 describes central cannula removal by a percutaneous approach. Use 33985 for open removal.
Can modifier 50 be used when more than one cannula is removed?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service; removal of multiple cannulae does not make it a bilateral procedure.
What documentation supports reporting 33985?
Document that the cannulae were used for ECMO/ECLS, their central location, and that they were removed through an open approach. The operative note should describe the decannulation performed.
How are other procedures in the same session handled?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures in the session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in this code's 0-day global period.
What documentation is needed for assistant or team payment?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeon and team-surgery payment require supporting documentation.
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.
4,16633982,,Replace vad intra w/o bp,A,,36.91,7.57,NA,7.57,,8.85,53.33,53.33,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16733983,,Replace vad intra w/bp,A,,43.43,8.92,NA,8.92,,10.43,62.78,62.78,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16833984,,Ecmo/ecls rmvl prph cannula,A,,5.32,1.11,NA,1.11,,1.31,7.74,7.74,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16933985,,Ecmo/ecls rmvl ctr cannula,A,,9.64,2.13,NA,2.13,,2.32,14.09,14.09,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,17033986,,Ecmo/ecls rmvl ctr cannula,A,,9.75,2.13,NA,2.13,,2.41,14.29,14.29,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,17133987,,Artery expos/graft artery,A,,3.94,0.81,NA,0.81,,0.95,5.70,5.70,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,17233988,,Insertion of left heart vent,A,,14.63,3.16,NA,3.16,,3.49,21.28,21.28,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515
801112,CA,54,BAKERSFIELD,1.019,1.096,0.609
901112,CA,55,CHICO,1.017,1.096,0.536
1001182,CA,71,EL CENTRO,1.017,1.096,0.541