Billing code 33220: Lead repairMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Reports operative repair of two existing transvenous pacing or defibrillation leads when both leads are repaired rather than repositioned or replaced.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33220 in Delaware.
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 33220 covers
33220 represents operative repair of two existing transvenous leads serving a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator system. An electrophysiologist or another physician performing cardiac device surgery typically carries out the work in a hospital or other surgical facility. The defining distinction is repair of two leads, rather than correction of a lead’s position or placement of new electrodes.
Report the code when the operative record supports repair of both existing leads. Document the number of leads and the repair performed so the service can be distinguished from repositioning or insertion. Modifier 50 should not represent the two repaired leads. Medicare assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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.
33220 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Unavailable | $336.48 |
How the 33220 rate is calculated
Each of 33220’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 · 33220
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 5.75Practice expense 3.11Malpractice 1.36
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33220
33220 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 33220
Lead repair
| 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) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| 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 · 33220
Lead repair
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
33220 without 51 · national facility
$341.36
Lead repair
33220-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$170.68
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%).
33220 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
33220 vs 33218 vs 33215 vs 33217: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 33218Lead repair
- 33218 describes repair of one existing pacing-defibrillation lead. Report 33220 when two leads are repaired.
- 33215Lead repositioning
- 33215 is for repositioning an existing lead. 33220 is for repairing two existing leads, not changing their position.
- 33217Lead insertion
- 33217 describes insertion of two new pacing-defibrillation electrodes. 33220 describes repair of two existing leads.
33220 billing questions
How does 33220 differ from 33218?
33220 is for repair of two existing leads; 33218 is for repair of one. Select according to the number of leads repaired.
Should modifier 50 be used for two repaired leads?
No. The two-lead service is represented by 33220 itself; modifier 50 should not be used to represent the lead count.
When is 33215 a better fit?
Use 33215 when the work repositions an existing pacing-defibrillation lead. Use 33220 when two existing leads are repaired.
What documentation supports reporting 33220?
The operative report should identify both existing leads and describe the repair performed on each, distinguishing repair from repositioning or insertion.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
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 33220 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Current Medicare rates for every code you bill at your locality, with what changed since last quarter.
Get a fee sheetOr price your code list free →