Choose 33779 when pulmonary artery band removal accompanies the aortic-pulmonary reconstruction. The related 33778 code describes that reconstruction without the band-removal distinction.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33779 Arterial switch repair Medicare reimbursement rates in Delaware
Reports definitive transposition of the great arteries repair using aortic-pulmonary reconstruction when a previously placed pulmonary artery band is removed. Compare 33779 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Delaware.
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 33779 in Delaware?
Delaware 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
$2109.59
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Delaware
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.
Congenital cardiac surgery
About 33779: Transposition repair with band removal
Reports definitive transposition of the great arteries repair using aortic-pulmonary reconstruction when a previously placed pulmonary artery band is removed.
This code describes congenital heart surgery to correct transposition of the great arteries through reconstruction of the aortic and pulmonary artery pathways, with removal of a pulmonary artery band placed during an earlier stage of treatment. The reconstruction is generally an arterial switch-type repair that restores the great arteries to the appropriate ventricular connections. A cardiothoracic surgeon performs the operation in a hospital operating room, often as definitive repair after staged management of the congenital defect.
Select this code when the operative report supports both the aortic-pulmonary reconstruction and removal of the pulmonary artery band. Documentation should identify the transposition repair, the reconstruction performed, and the band removal; band removal is included in this service. The procedure has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 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% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 33779
- 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 paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU42.15 · 66%
- Practice expense (office) RVU11.37 · 18%
- Malpractice RVU10.64 · 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.
33779 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Delaware, from the same CMS release.
33780 identifies reconstruction repair with closure of a ventricular septal defect. 33779 is distinguished by removal of a pulmonary artery band.
33781 identifies reconstruction repair with treatment of subpulmonary obstruction. 33779 applies when the documented distinguishing work is pulmonary artery band removal.
33775 is an atrial baffle repair that includes pulmonary artery band removal. Use 33779 for the aortic-pulmonary reconstruction approach.
Compare 33779 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
Delaware →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$2109.59
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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 33779 in Delaware.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
4,067
- Code
- 33779
- Physician work
- 42.15
- Practice expense
- 11.37
- Malpractice
- 10.64
GPCI2026.csv
40
- Locality
- Delaware
- Physician work
- 1.005
- Practice expense
- 0.988
- Malpractice
- 0.899
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 42.15 | × 1.005 | 42.3607 |
| Practice expense | 11.37 | × 0.988 | 11.2336 |
| Malpractice | 10.64 | × 0.899 | 9.5654 |
| Total RVUs | 63.1597 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Delaware$2109.59
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 42.15 | 1.005 |
| Practice expense | 11.37 | 0.988 |
| Malpractice | 10.64 | 0.899 |
(42.15 × 1.005 + 11.37 × 0.988 + 10.64 × 0.899) × $33.4009 = $2109.59
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.
33779 billing questions
How is 33779 different from 33778?
Both describe transposition repair with aortic-pulmonary reconstruction. Use 33779 when the operation also removes a pulmonary artery band; 33778 is the related reconstruction code without that band-removal distinction.
Is pulmonary artery band removal separately reported?
Band removal is part of the service described by 33779. Do not separately report the removal as an additional procedure merely because the surgeon documents that operative step.
Does 33779 describe an atrial baffle repair?
No. It describes transposition repair with aortic-pulmonary reconstruction and band removal. The atrial baffle approach is represented by a different code family, including 33775 when band removal is part of that repair.
Can modifier 50 be used?
No. The bilateral adjustment is inappropriate for this repair; report the operation as performed rather than treating it as a bilateral service.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
What documentation supports co-surgeon billing?
Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation. The operative record should substantiate the co-surgeon roles and the need for their participation.
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.
