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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01

33255 Atrial ablation Medicare reimbursement rates in Indiana

Reports extensive open surgical ablation and reconstruction of atrial tissue for rhythm treatment when cardiopulmonary bypass is not used. Compare 33255 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Indiana.

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 33255 in Indiana?

Indiana 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

$1406.59

1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.

Payment area: Indiana

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.

Find 33255 in your payment locality →

Cardiac surgery

About 33255: Extensive atrial ablation without bypass

Reports extensive open surgical ablation and reconstruction of atrial tissue for rhythm treatment when cardiopulmonary bypass is not used.

This service involves surgically creating an extensive pattern of lesions in the atria to treat an arrhythmia, commonly atrial fibrillation. A cardiac surgeon performs it through an open approach without cardiopulmonary bypass; it may be done as part of treatment that also includes another cardiac operation. It is distinct from catheter ablation and from less extensive surgical lesion patterns.

Report the code when the operative report supports an extensive atrial ablation and documents that cardiopulmonary bypass was not used. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Do not use modifier 50 for bilateral work. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

CMS billing rules for 33255

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 RVU28.31 · 61%
  • Practice expense (office) RVU11.34 · 24%
  • Malpractice RVU6.77 · 15%

79

Medicare services in 2024 · #5061 by national volume

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.

33255 compared with similar codes

Office rates for Indiana, from the same CMS release.

33254

Atrial ablation

Limited, without bypass

No office rate

Use 33254 for a limited surgical atrial lesion pattern without bypass; 33255 is for an extensive pattern without bypass.

33256

Atrial ablation

Extensive, with bypass

No office rate

Both are extensive surgical atrial ablation codes. The distinction is whether cardiopulmonary bypass is used.

33266

Atrial ablation

Extensive, endoscopic

No office rate

33266 describes extensive endoscopic atrial ablation. 33255 is the open surgical approach without cardiopulmonary bypass.

Compare 33255 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

Office and facility base rates · shared scale starting at $0

  • Indiana →

    Office / nonfacility

    Unavailable

    Facility

    $1406.59

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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 33255 in Indiana.

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

3,878

Code
33255
Physician work
28.31
Practice expense
11.34
Malpractice
6.77

GPCI2026.csv

52

Locality
Indiana
Physician work
1.000
Practice expense
0.927
Malpractice
0.486
Facility calculation for 33255 in Indiana
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work28.31× 1.00028.3100
Practice expense11.34× 0.92710.5122
Malpractice6.77× 0.4863.2902
Total RVUs42.1124
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Facility rate, Indiana$1406.59

Values as parsed from CMS release RVU26D, effective 2026-10-01. The amount is rounded to the nearest cent only at the end.
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula

Facility

Facility calculation inputs
ComponentRVULocal GPCI
Work28.311
Practice expense11.340.927
Malpractice6.770.486

(28.31 × 1 + 11.34 × 0.927 + 6.77 × 0.486) × $33.4009 = $1406.59

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.

33255 billing questions

How is this code distinguished from 33254?

33255 represents an extensive atrial ablation pattern without cardiopulmonary bypass. Choose 33254 when the documented surgical ablation is limited rather than extensive.

How does 33255 differ from 33256?

Both describe extensive surgical atrial ablation, but 33255 is for a procedure without cardiopulmonary bypass and 33256 is for one performed with bypass.

Can this code be used for catheter ablation?

No. It describes open surgical ablation and reconstruction of atrial tissue, not a catheter-based electrophysiology procedure.

What documentation supports reporting 33255?

The operative report should describe the extensive atrial lesion pattern and establish that cardiopulmonary bypass was not used. It should also identify any other procedures performed during the same session.

How are other procedures in the same session paid?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. The code also carries a 90-day global period.

Which surgical modifiers are relevant?

Do not use modifier 50 for bilateral work. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available, co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and 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 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.

RVUs for 33255PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,878 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for IndianaGPCI2026.csv, line 52 (RVU26D)
Open CMS sourceHow this rate is calculatedBuild a fee sheet