No office rate
Use 33217 for two transvenous electrodes and 33216 for one. The operative report should support the number inserted.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33217 Lead insertion Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Report this service for placement of two transvenous electrodes for a permanent pacemaker or implantable defibrillator when lead insertion is coded separately. Compare 33217 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Minnesota.
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 33217 in Minnesota?
Minnesota 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
$303.05
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Minnesota
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.
Cardiac device surgery
About 33217: Two transvenous pacing-defibrillation leads
Report this service for placement of two transvenous electrodes for a permanent pacemaker or implantable defibrillator when lead insertion is coded separately.
This procedure places two electrodes through the venous system for a permanent pacing or defibrillation system. A cardiac electrophysiologist or other qualified physician typically performs it in a hospital or electrophysiology setting. The code represents electrode insertion, not the pulse generator; it is distinct from a complete-system implantation code. The two leads may serve the system’s required sensing, pacing, or defibrillation functions, depending on the device and clinical plan.
Select the code based on the number of electrodes inserted and whether the service is lead-only work rather than implantation of a complete system. The operative report should identify the permanent device type, the number of transvenous electrodes placed, and the procedure performed. CMS 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 others are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 33217
- 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU5.45 · 55%
- Practice expense (office) RVU3.15 · 32%
- Malpractice RVU1.29 · 13%
391
Medicare services in 2024 · #3756 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.
33217 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
33208 represents implantation of a complete dual-chamber pacemaker system. This code is for two electrodes when lead insertion is reported separately, not a substitute for coding a complete system.
No office rate
33249 represents a complete transvenous implantable defibrillator system insertion or replacement. Use 33217 for two electrode insertions only when the documented service is separately coded lead work.
No office rate
33211 concerns temporary dual-electrode transvenous pacing. This code concerns electrodes for a permanent pacemaker or implantable defibrillator.
Compare 33217 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
Minnesota →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$303.05
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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 33217 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,846
- Code
- 33217
- Physician work
- 5.45
- Practice expense
- 3.15
- Malpractice
- 1.29
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 5.45 | × 1.000 | 5.4500 |
| Practice expense | 3.15 | × 1.029 | 3.2413 |
| Malpractice | 1.29 | × 0.296 | 0.3818 |
| Total RVUs | 9.0732 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Minnesota$303.05
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.45 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 3.15 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 1.29 | 0.296 |
(5.45 × 1 + 3.15 × 1.029 + 1.29 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $303.05
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.
33217 billing questions
How does this differ from code 33216?
Code 33217 represents insertion of two transvenous electrodes for a permanent pacemaker or implantable defibrillator. Code 33216 is the corresponding one-electrode service.
Does this code include the pulse generator?
No. It describes insertion of two electrodes, not the generator. Code the generator service separately only when the documented procedure and applicable code descriptor support it.
Should this be reported for a complete pacemaker implantation?
When the physician implants a complete dual-chamber pacemaker system, consider the complete-system code, such as 33208, rather than separately coding lead placement as though it were a lead-only procedure.
Can modifier 50 be used for two leads?
No. Two electrodes are part of the service represented by this code; CMS indicates that bilateral adjustment is inappropriate.
What documentation supports reporting two electrodes?
The operative report should establish that two transvenous electrodes were inserted for a permanent pacemaker or implantable defibrillator. It should distinguish lead insertion from repositioning or repair of existing leads.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure rule, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the 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 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.
3,84333214,,Upgrade of pacemaker system,A,,7.40,3.63,NA,3.63,,1.71,12.74,12.74,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,0,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,84433215,,Reposition pacing-defib lead,A,,4.80,2.30,NA,2.30,,1.14,8.24,8.24,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,84533216,,Insert 1 electrode pm-defib,A,,5.48,3.15,NA,3.15,,1.29,9.92,9.92,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,84633217,,Insert 2 electrode pm-defib,A,,5.45,3.15,NA,3.15,,1.29,9.89,9.89,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,84733218,,Repair lead pace-defib one,A,,5.67,3.43,NA,3.43,,1.33,10.43,10.43,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,8483321F,,Ajcc cncr 0/ia melan docd,M,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,84933220,,Repair lead pace-defib dual,A,,5.75,3.11,NA,3.11,,1.36,10.22,10.22,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6314212,MA,99,REST OF MASSACHUSETTS,1.016,1.053,0.797
6408202,MI,01,DETROIT,1.000,0.965,1.686
6508202,MI,99,REST OF MICHIGAN,1.000,0.913,1.129
6606202,MN,00,MINNESOTA,1.000,1.029,0.296
6707302,MS,00,MISSISSIPPI,1.000,0.861,0.739
6805302,MO,02,METROPOLITAN KANSAS CITY,1.000,0.939,0.977
6905302,MO,01,METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.952,1.002