Billing code 33315: Heart explorationMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Report open surgical exploration of the heart performed with cardiopulmonary bypass when the operative service is exploration rather than a definitive repair.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33315 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 33315 covers
This service is an open operation to examine the heart, with cardiopulmonary bypass used during the procedure. It may include removal of a foreign body when that is part of the exploration. Cardiothoracic surgeons typically perform it in a hospital operating room when direct surgical assessment of the heart is needed and the operative work does not instead represent a separately defined repair or other definitive procedure.
Choose this code based on the operative work and documented use of cardiopulmonary bypass; the report should explain the reason for exploration, findings, any foreign body removal, and procedures performed. It has a 90-day global period, including 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 multiple procedure reduction. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation. Team surgery is 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.
33315 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Unavailable | $1,756.76 |
How the 33315 rate is calculated
Each of 33315’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 · 33315
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 34.13Practice expense 10.92Malpractice 8.35
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33315
33315 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 33315
Heart exploration
| 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 · 33315
Heart exploration
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
33315 without 51 · national facility
$1,783.61
Heart exploration
33315-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$891.81
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%).
33315 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
33315 vs 33310 vs 33300 vs 33305: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 33310Heart exploration
- 33310 describes heart exploration without cardiopulmonary bypass; 33315 is selected when bypass is used.
- 33300Heart wound repair
- 33300 is for repair of a heart wound without bypass. Use 33315 for exploration with bypass when the operative work is not a wound repair.
- 33305Heart wound repair
- 33305 is for repair of a heart wound with bypass. 33315 describes exploration with bypass rather than wound repair.
33315 billing questions
How does this differ from 33310?
Both describe heart exploration, but 33315 is the version performed with cardiopulmonary bypass. Use the operative report to establish whether bypass was used.
Can this be reported when a heart wound is repaired?
If the surgeon performs a defined heart-wound repair, compare the operative work with 33300 or 33305 rather than using an exploration code as a substitute. The bypass distinction separates those repair codes.
Is cardiopulmonary bypass separately represented by this code?
Bypass use distinguishes this exploration code from 33310. Document its use in the operative report.
What documentation supports reporting 33315?
Document the indication and findings from the heart exploration, whether a foreign body was removed, and that cardiopulmonary bypass was used.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
What does the 90-day global period include?
It 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
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