No office rate
Choose 33971 for open removal and 33968 for percutaneous removal. The operative approach is the key distinction.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33971 Aortic assist removal Medicare reimbursement rates in New Mexico
Reports open removal of an intra-aortic balloon assist device, generally after temporary circulatory support for cardiogenic shock or around cardiac surgery. Compare 33971 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 33971 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
$674.32
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.
Cardiovascular surgery
About 33971: Open removal of aortic assist device
Reports open removal of an intra-aortic balloon assist device, generally after temporary circulatory support for cardiogenic shock or around cardiac surgery.
This service covers open removal of an intra-aortic balloon assist device, with the surgical exposure needed to remove the device and address the access artery. It is typically performed by a cardiothoracic or vascular surgeon in a hospital when a patient no longer needs temporary aortic support, such as after stabilization from cardiogenic shock or recovery from a cardiac procedure. The open approach distinguishes this service from percutaneous device removal.
Report the code when the operative record supports open removal and identifies the device and access approach. The code has a 90-day global period, including 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. Assistant-at-surgery payment is barred by statutory restriction; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 33971
- 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 RVU11.69 · 58%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.64 · 28%
- Malpractice RVU2.77 · 14%
139
Medicare services in 2024 · #4612 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.
33971 compared with similar codes
Office rates for New Mexico, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Code 33970 describes open insertion of the aortic assist device; 33971 describes open removal.
No office rate
Code 33967 reports percutaneous insertion of an intra-aortic balloon assist device, not its open removal.
Compare 33971 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
$674.32
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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 33971 in New Mexico.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
4,156
- Code
- 33971
- Physician work
- 11.69
- Practice expense
- 5.64
- Malpractice
- 2.77
GPCI2026.csv
77
- Locality
- New Mexico
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.917
- Malpractice
- 1.201
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 11.69 | × 1.000 | 11.6900 |
| Practice expense | 5.64 | × 0.917 | 5.1719 |
| Malpractice | 2.77 | × 1.201 | 3.3268 |
| Total RVUs | 20.1886 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, New Mexico$674.32
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 11.69 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 5.64 | 0.917 |
| Malpractice | 2.77 | 1.201 |
(11.69 × 1 + 5.64 × 0.917 + 2.77 × 1.201) × $33.4009 = $674.32
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.
33971 billing questions
How does this differ from code 33968?
Code 33971 is for open removal of the aortic assist device. Code 33968 is the percutaneous removal option.
Can the removal be reported with the original insertion?
Report this code for the open removal service, not for the earlier insertion. Code 33970 describes open insertion.
What documentation supports the open approach?
The operative report should identify the intra-aortic balloon assist device, document its removal, and describe the open exposure and access-site work.
Should modifier 50 be appended?
No. Bilateral adjustment is inappropriate for this service.
Is an assistant surgeon payable?
No. Assistant-at-surgery payment is barred by statutory restriction for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are also 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.
4,15333968,,Remove aortic assist device,A,,0.62,0.13,NA,0.13,,0.14,0.89,0.89,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,15433969,,Ecmo/ecls rmvl perph cannula,A,,5.09,1.19,NA,1.19,,1.22,7.50,7.50,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,15533970,,Aortic circulation assist,A,,6.57,1.27,NA,1.27,,1.57,9.41,9.41,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,15633971,,Aortic circulation assist,A,,11.69,5.64,NA,5.64,,2.77,20.10,20.10,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,15733973,,Insert balloon device,A,,9.51,1.95,NA,1.95,,2.27,13.73,13.73,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,15833974,,Remove intra-aortic balloon,A,,14.65,7.95,NA,7.95,,3.50,26.10,26.10,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,15933975,,Implant ventricular device,A,,24.38,4.87,NA,4.87,,6.02,35.27,35.27,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,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