Billing code 33460: Tricuspid valve surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Reports surgical removal of native tricuspid valve tissue, with or without repair, such as excision for destructive valve disease including infective endocarditis.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33460 in Florida.
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 33460 covers
A cardiothoracic surgeon removes native tricuspid valve tissue and may repair the remaining valve. This operation is used when the valve is severely damaged, including in some cases of right-sided infective endocarditis. The operative report should make clear that valve tissue was excised; repair without excision or replacement with a prosthetic valve represents a different service. These procedures are performed in a hospital operating room as part of cardiac surgery.
Report this code when the documented operation includes tricuspid valve excision, whether or not repair is also performed. The record should identify the valve and describe the excision and any repair. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur 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 not appropriate for this single-valve operation. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and 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.
Where 33460 pays more and less in Florida
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | Unavailable | $2,532.21 |
| Miami | Unavailable | $2,796.41 |
| Rest Of Florida | Unavailable | $2,400.62 |
How the 33460 rate is calculated
Each of 33460’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 · 33460
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 43.58Practice expense 13.15Malpractice 10.46
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33460
33460 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 33460
Tricuspid valve surgery
| 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 · 33460
Tricuspid valve surgery
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
33460 without 51 · national facility
$2,244.21
Tricuspid valve surgery
33460-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,122.11
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%).
33460 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
33460 vs 33463 vs 33464 vs 33465: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 33463Tricuspid repair
- Use 33463 for tricuspid valvuloplasty without valve excision. Use 33460 when native valve tissue is excised, even if repair follows.
- 33464Tricuspid repair
- Use 33464 for tricuspid valvuloplasty with ring insertion when the service is repair rather than excision. Excision of native valve tissue points to 33460.
- 33465Valve replacement
- Use 33465 when the tricuspid valve is replaced with a prosthesis. Use 33460 for excision with or without repair when replacement is not performed.
33460 billing questions
How is this different from tricuspid valve repair?
This code is for excision of native tricuspid valve tissue, with or without repair. A repair that does not include excision is reported with the applicable tricuspid valvuloplasty code.
When should the replacement code be used instead?
Use the tricuspid replacement code when the operation replaces the valve with a prosthesis. This code describes excision with or without repair, not prosthetic replacement.
What operative documentation supports this code?
The report should identify the tricuspid valve and document the excision of native valve tissue, along with any repair performed. A diagnosis alone, such as endocarditis, does not establish that excision occurred.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. Modifier 50 is not appropriate for this single tricuspid valve operation.
How does Medicare handle other procedures performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. The related postoperative care is included in this code’s 90-day global period.
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.
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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