Billing code 33917: Pulmonary artery repairMedicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Reports operative repair of a pulmonary artery, commonly to address stenosis, when the surgeon directly reconstructs the vessel with or without a patch.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33917 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 33917 covers
A cardiothoracic or congenital heart surgeon uses this service to reconstruct a pulmonary artery, often to relieve a narrowed segment. The repair may use the patient’s own tissue or a patch graft. It is typically performed in a hospital operating room as part of surgery for pulmonary artery disease, including congenital narrowing. The operative report should identify the artery and lesion and describe the repair performed.
Select this code for direct pulmonary artery repair, not an operation whose principal work is unifocalizing collateral vessels or removing emboli. Document the site, reason for repair, and whether reconstruction or patching was performed. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery 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 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. 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 33917 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 | $1,561.73 |
| Miami | Unavailable | $1,721.30 |
| Rest Of Florida | Unavailable | $1,478.05 |
How the 33917 rate is calculated
Each of 33917’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 · 33917
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 24.67Practice expense 10.72Malpractice 6.21
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33917
33917 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 33917
Pulmonary artery 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) | 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 · 33917
Pulmonary artery 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
33917 without 51 · national facility
$1,389.48
Pulmonary artery repair
33917-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$694.74
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%).
33917 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
33917 vs 33925 vs 33926 vs 33910 vs 33915: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 33925Pulmonary artery repair
- 33925 describes pulmonary artery unifocalization without cardiopulmonary bypass. Choose 33917 for direct repair of a pulmonary artery rather than unifocalization.
- 33926Pulmonary artery repair
- 33926 describes pulmonary artery unifocalization with cardiopulmonary bypass. It is not the direct pulmonary artery repair represented by 33917.
- 33910Pulmonary embolectomy
- 33910 is for removal of pulmonary artery emboli. Use 33917 when the operative work is repair of the artery, not embolus removal.
- 33915Pulmonary embolectomy
- 33915 is also an embolus-removal code, not a direct artery repair code. The operative objective distinguishes it from 33917.
33917 billing questions
When is this code appropriate instead of 33925 or 33926?
Use 33917 for direct pulmonary artery repair. Codes 33925 and 33926 describe pulmonary artery unifocalization, with the code choice reflecting whether cardiopulmonary bypass is used.
Is modifier 50 appropriate for repair of both pulmonary arteries?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code. Report the operation according to the applicable coding instructions and documented work, not by adding modifier 50.
Does the code include related postoperative visits?
Yes. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
What operative documentation supports reporting 33917?
The report should identify the pulmonary artery and the lesion being treated, and describe the direct repair or patch reconstruction. It should make clear that the procedure was not unifocalization or embolus removal.
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 under the CMS facts for this code.
How does CMS handle another procedure performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, while other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction when performed in the same session.
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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