No office rate
Both codes describe extracorporeal ventricular assist device implantation. Choose 33976 for support of both ventricles and 33975 for single-ventricle support.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33976 Ventricular assist device Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Reports surgical placement of an extracorporeal ventricular assist system supporting both ventricles, typically for temporary mechanical circulatory support in severe biventricular failure. Compare 33976 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Colorado.
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 33976 in Colorado?
Colorado 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
$1419.76
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Colorado
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.
Cardiac surgery
About 33976: Extracorporeal biventricular assist device implantation
Reports surgical placement of an extracorporeal ventricular assist system supporting both ventricles, typically for temporary mechanical circulatory support in severe biventricular failure.
A cardiac surgeon places an extracorporeal ventricular assist system with cannulas connected to support both the right and left ventricles. The pump remains outside the body while providing temporary circulatory support, such as for a patient with severe biventricular failure who needs support while awaiting recovery or further treatment. The service is performed in a hospital operating room as part of surgical mechanical circulatory support.
Choose this code when the implanted system provides extracorporeal support to both ventricles; a single-ventricle extracorporeal system is a different code. The operative report should identify the device configuration and document support of both ventricles. CMS applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction when other qualifying procedures occur in the same session: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. The code is already priced as bilateral, so modifier 50 does not increase payment.
CMS billing rules for 33976
- 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
- The code is already priced as bilateral; modifier 50 does not increase payment.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU29.98 · 69%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.15 · 14%
- Malpractice RVU7.20 · 17%
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.
33976 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
33979 describes placement of an implantable intracorporeal device; 33976 describes an extracorporeal system supporting both ventricles.
No office rate
33978 describes removal of an extracorporeal biventricular assist device, not its implantation.
Compare 33976 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
Colorado →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1419.76
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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 33976 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
4,160
- Code
- 33976
- Physician work
- 29.98
- Practice expense
- 6.15
- Malpractice
- 7.20
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 29.98 | × 1.012 | 30.3398 |
| Practice expense | 6.15 | × 1.064 | 6.5436 |
| Malpractice | 7.20 | × 0.781 | 5.6232 |
| Total RVUs | 42.5066 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Colorado$1419.76
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 29.98 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 6.15 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 7.2 | 0.781 |
(29.98 × 1.012 + 6.15 × 1.064 + 7.2 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $1419.76
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.
33976 billing questions
How does 33976 differ from 33975?
33976 represents an extracorporeal system supporting both ventricles. Use 33975 for an extracorporeal system supporting a single ventricle.
How does 33976 differ from 33979?
33976 is for an extracorporeal biventricular system. Code 33979 describes an implantable intracorporeal ventricular assist device, a different device configuration.
Should modifier 50 be appended?
CMS identifies 33976 as already priced bilaterally. Modifier 50 does not increase payment.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other qualifying procedures are paid at 50%.
What documentation supports reporting 33976?
The operative report should identify the extracorporeal device and establish that it provides ventricular support to both sides of the heart.
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.
4,15733973,,Insert balloon device,A,,9.51,1.95,NA,1.95,,2.27,13.73,13.73,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,15833974,,Remove intra-aortic balloon,A,,14.65,7.95,NA,7.95,,3.50,26.10,26.10,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,15933975,,Implant ventricular device,A,,24.38,4.87,NA,4.87,,6.02,35.27,35.27,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16033976,,Implant ventricular device,A,,29.98,6.15,NA,6.15,,7.20,43.33,43.33,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,2,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16133977,,Remove ventricular device,A,,20.34,5.71,NA,5.71,,4.95,31.00,31.00,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16233978,,Remove ventricular device,A,,24.38,6.81,NA,6.81,,5.84,37.03,37.03,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,2,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16333979,,Insert intracorporeal device,A,,36.56,7.38,NA,7.38,,9.01,52.95,52.95,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3401112,CA,69,VISALIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3501112,CA,70,YUBA CITY,1.017,1.096,0.536
3601112,CA,75,REST OF CALIFORNIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3704112,CO,01,COLORADO,1.012,1.064,0.781
3813102,CT,00,CONNECTICUT,1.020,1.077,1.210
3912202,DC,01,DC + MD/VA SUBURBS,1.054,1.178,1.113
4012102,DE,01,DELAWARE,1.005,0.988,0.899