Billing code 33770: TGA repairMedicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Open congenital heart repair for transposition of the great arteries with a ventricular septal defect when the defect is not surgically enlarged.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33770 in Missouri.
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 33770 covers
This major open operation repairs transposition of the great arteries in a patient who also has a ventricular septal defect. The congenital cardiac surgeon uses the existing defect to create an effective route for blood flow without surgically enlarging it. The operative report should establish the anatomy and describe the repair, including whether the VSD was enlarged. This is a hospital operating-room service, not an office procedure.
Report this code when the documented repair matches the no-enlargement approach; use the sibling code when the surgeon enlarges the VSD. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. 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. 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 33770 pays more and less in Missouri
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Kansas City | Unavailable | $1,929.58 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis | Unavailable | $1,942.37 |
| Rest Of Missouri | Unavailable | $1,900.43 |
How the 33770 rate is calculated
Each of 33770’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 · 33770
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work38.09
38.09 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense10.96
10.96 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice9.61
9.61 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
58.6600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,959.30
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33770
33770 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 33770
TGA 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 · 33770
TGA 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
33770 without 51 · national facility
$1,959.30
TGA repair
33770-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$979.65
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%).
33770 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 33771TGA repair
- Choose 33770 when the VSD is not surgically enlarged. Choose 33771 when the operative report documents enlargement of the defect.
- 33774Atrial baffle repair
- 33774 describes an atrial-baffle repair approach. This code describes repair of transposition with a VSD without surgical enlargement of that defect.
- 33782Nikaidoh repair
- 33782 is a Nikaidoh procedure, a distinct operative approach. Use this code for the no-enlargement VSD repair it describes, not simply because the patient has transposition.
33770 billing questions
How do I distinguish this code from 33771?
The operative report must show whether the surgeon enlarged the VSD. This code is for the repair without enlargement; 33771 is the sibling code for a repair that includes enlargement.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Document the transposition anatomy, the VSD, the repair performed, and whether the surgeon enlarged the defect. The operative note should support the selected repair approach.
Does the 90-day global include related postoperative care?
Yes. The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
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.
Should modifier 50 be used?
No. Bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this repair.
How is this code affected by other procedures performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures in the same session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
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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