CPT code 33222: Pocket relocation2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Ohio
Reports surgical relocation of an existing pacemaker generator into a different pocket, such as when the current pocket causes discomfort or threatens the overlying skin.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33222 in Ohio.
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 33222 covers
The surgeon frees the existing pacemaker generator from its pocket and moves it into a newly created pocket at a different site. This procedure is typically performed by a cardiac electrophysiologist or cardiothoracic surgeon in a hospital operating room when the existing pocket’s position or condition requires relocation. The service addresses the generator pocket, not repositioning a pacing lead or implanting a new generator.
Report the procedure when the operative record supports relocation of the pacemaker pocket and generator; distinguish it from generator replacement or lead repositioning. This major surgery has 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 other procedures are subject to the standard 50% 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.
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.
33222 in Ohio
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | Unavailable | $300.60 |
How the 33222 rate is calculated
Each of 33222’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 · 33222
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work4.73
4.73 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense3.44
3.44 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.12
1.12 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
9.2900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$310.29
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33222
33222 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 33222
Pocket relocation
| 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) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| 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 · 33222
Pocket relocation
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
33222 without 51 · national facility
$310.29
Pocket relocation
33222-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$155.15
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%).
33222 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 33223Defibrillator pocket
- Use 33222 for relocation of a pacemaker generator pocket; 33223 covers relocation of a defibrillator pocket.
- 33215Lead repositioning
- 33215 addresses repositioning a pacing-defibrillator lead. It does not describe moving the pacemaker generator to a new pocket.
- 33228Pacemaker generator exchange
- 33228 covers replacement of a dual-lead pacemaker generator. Choose based on whether the documented work replaces the generator or relocates its pocket.
33222 billing questions
How is this different from pacemaker lead repositioning?
33222 relocates the generator pocket. When the work repositions a pacing lead rather than the generator pocket, consider the lead-repositioning code 33215.
How does this differ from defibrillator pocket relocation?
33222 is for a pacemaker generator pocket. Code 33223 is the corresponding pocket-relocation code for a defibrillator.
Can this be reported when the generator is replaced?
The operative documentation should distinguish pocket relocation from generator replacement, such as 33228 for replacement of a dual-lead pacemaker generator. Do not treat replacement alone as pocket relocation.
Does modifier 50 apply?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
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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