No office rate
Both describe epicardial electrode placement. Choose 33203 for an endoscopic approach and 33202 for an open approach.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33203 Epicardial lead Medicare reimbursement rates in New Mexico
Reports endoscopic placement of epicardial pacing electrode(s), typically by a thoracoscopic approach when a lead is placed on the heart’s surface. Compare 33203 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in New Mexico.
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 33203 in New Mexico?
New Mexico 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
$777.51
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: New Mexico
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 surgery
About 33203: Endoscopic epicardial pacing lead insertion
Reports endoscopic placement of epicardial pacing electrode(s), typically by a thoracoscopic approach when a lead is placed on the heart’s surface.
This service places one or more pacing electrodes on the heart’s outer surface through an endoscopic approach, commonly thoracoscopic. It may be selected when epicardial pacing is needed and a transvenous route is unsuitable, such as in some patients with congenital heart disease or limited venous access. A cardiac or thoracic surgeon typically performs the procedure in an operating room or other facility setting.
Report 33203 for endoscopic epicardial electrode placement, rather than 33202 when the electrodes are placed through an open approach. The operative report should identify the endoscopic approach, the electrode placement, and the clinical reason for epicardial pacing. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, which includes 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 for this service. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 33203
- 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 RVU13.62 · 59%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.04 · 26%
- Malpractice RVU3.43 · 15%
47
Medicare services in 2024 · #5389 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.
33203 compared with similar codes
Office rates for New Mexico, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
33206 describes permanent pacemaker insertion using a transvenous atrial electrode; 33203 describes endoscopic placement of epicardial electrode(s).
No office rate
33208 describes transvenous permanent pacemaker insertion with atrial and ventricular electrodes, rather than endoscopic epicardial electrode placement.
Compare 33203 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
New Mexico →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$777.51
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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 33203 in New Mexico.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,834
- Code
- 33203
- Physician work
- 13.62
- Practice expense
- 6.04
- Malpractice
- 3.43
GPCI2026.csv
77
- Locality
- New Mexico
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.917
- Malpractice
- 1.201
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 13.62 | × 1.000 | 13.6200 |
| Practice expense | 6.04 | × 0.917 | 5.5387 |
| Malpractice | 3.43 | × 1.201 | 4.1194 |
| Total RVUs | 23.2781 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, New Mexico$777.51
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 13.62 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 6.04 | 0.917 |
| Malpractice | 3.43 | 1.201 |
(13.62 × 1 + 6.04 × 0.917 + 3.43 × 1.201) × $33.4009 = $777.51
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.
33203 billing questions
How is 33203 distinguished from 33202?
Use 33203 when epicardial electrode placement is performed endoscopically. Code 33202 is the open approach.
Is this code for a transvenous pacemaker lead?
No. It describes endoscopic placement of an electrode on the heart’s outer surface; transvenous pacemaker system procedures have different codes.
What documentation supports reporting 33203?
The operative report should establish that the electrode was placed epicardially using an endoscopic approach and document the procedure performed.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this service, so modifier 50 should not be used.
How are assistant and co-surgeon services handled?
CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are 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.
3,8313318F,,Path rpt malig cancer docd,I,,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
3,8323319F,,X-ray/ct/ultrsnd et al ord,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
3,83333202,,Insert epicard eltrd open,A,,12.87,6.15,NA,6.15,,3.17,22.19,22.19,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,83433203,,Insert epicard eltrd endo,A,,13.62,6.04,NA,6.04,,3.43,23.09,23.09,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,83533206,,Insert heart pm atrial,A,,6.96,3.45,NA,3.45,,1.63,12.04,12.04,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,83633207,,Insert heart pm ventricular,A,,7.61,3.25,NA,3.25,,1.78,12.64,12.64,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,83733208,,Insrt heart pm atrial & vent,A,,8.31,3.39,NA,3.39,,1.95,13.65,13.65,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7414312,NH,40,NEW HAMPSHIRE,1.000,1.041,0.875
7512402,NJ,01,NORTHERN NJ,1.063,1.160,1.068
7612402,NJ,99,REST OF NEW JERSEY,1.040,1.092,1.097
7704212,NM,05,NEW MEXICO,1.000,0.917,1.201
7813202,NY,01,MANHATTAN,1.064,1.162,1.586
7913202,NY,02,NYC SUBURBS/LONG ISLAND,1.064,1.189,1.857
8013202,NY,03,POUGHKPSIE/N NYC SUBURBS,1.045,1.095,1.210