Billing code 33519: CABG graftsMedicare rate & RVUs in Illinois
Reports three venous grafts used during coronary artery bypass surgery that also includes arterial grafting, alongside the appropriate arterial bypass code.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33519 in Illinois.
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 33519 covers
This add-on code identifies the venous portion of a combined coronary artery bypass operation when three venous grafts are used along with arterial grafting. A cardiothoracic surgeon typically performs the bypass in an operating room, using arterial conduits such as an internal thoracic artery and venous conduits such as saphenous vein. The code represents the three venous grafts, not the arterial graft count or the total number of bypass grafts.
Select this code from the number of venous grafts documented in the operative report, and report it with the primary arterial CABG code that reflects the arterial graft count. The record should support the conduits and grafts used. This is an add-on code: it is billed only with a primary procedure and is paid within that procedure's global period. It is not a standalone CABG code.
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 33519 pays more and less in Illinois
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Unavailable | $605.73 |
| East St. Louis | Unavailable | $573.90 |
| Rest Of Illinois | Unavailable | $535.46 |
| Suburban Chicago | Unavailable | $563.21 |
How the 33519 rate is calculated
Each of 33519’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 · 33519
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 10.23Practice expense 2.04Malpractice 2.52
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33519
The CMS indicators that decide how 33519 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 33519
CABG grafts
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 80 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
33519 without 80 · national facility
$494.00
CABG grafts
33519-80 · Assistant: 16%
$79.04
A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.
33519 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
33519 vs 33518 vs 33521 vs 33512 vs 33535: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 33518CABG grafts
- Use 33518 when the combined CABG includes two venous grafts; 33519 represents three.
- 33521CABG grafting
- Use 33521 when the combined CABG includes four venous grafts; 33519 represents three.
- 33512Coronary bypass
- 33512 describes three venous grafts in a vein-only CABG. 33519 is the venous add-on for a procedure that also includes arterial grafting.
- 33535Arterial CABG
- 33535 represents three arterial grafts, not three venous grafts. In a combined procedure, 33535 may be the primary code paired with 33519 when the documented counts support both.
33519 billing questions
Which primary code is reported with 33519?
Report the arterial CABG code that matches the number of arterial grafts, such as 33533 for one arterial graft or 33534 for two. Code 33519 captures the three venous grafts.
Does 33519 mean three grafts total?
No. It represents three venous grafts in a combined arterial-and-venous bypass operation; the arterial graft count is represented by the primary CABG code.
How is 33519 different from 33512?
33519 is for three venous grafts used with arterial grafting. 33512 describes a three-vein-graft CABG without the arterial-grafting combination represented by 33519.
Can 33519 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with the appropriate primary arterial CABG procedure. CMS pays it within that primary procedure's global period.
What documentation supports the three-graft level?
The operative report should identify the venous grafts used and support that three venous grafts were placed. It should also document the arterial grafting represented by the separately reported primary code.
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 33519 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →