CPT code 33947: ECMO initiation2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Ohio
Reports physician initiation of venoarterial ECMO/ECLS to provide circulatory and respiratory support in severe cardiac or cardiopulmonary failure.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33947 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 33947 covers
This service covers starting venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or extracorporeal life support, which returns oxygenated blood to the arterial circulation while supporting cardiac and respiratory function. Cardiothoracic or vascular surgeons and other physicians involved in ECMO care may perform the initiation in an intensive care unit, operating room, or emergency setting. Typical circumstances include cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, or inability to separate from cardiopulmonary bypass when temporary extracorporeal support is needed.
Report 33947 for the initiation phase, not for ongoing daily management. The record should establish the clinical need for support, the venoarterial configuration, and the physician’s role in starting the circuit. Cannula insertion has its own codes when that work is performed and separately reportable; identify the cannula site and procedure in the documentation. CMS rules supplied for this code list no specific add-on, global-period, component, or reduction rule, so the code-specific facts here do not establish a separate payment adjustment or bundling instruction.
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.
33947 in Ohio
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | Unavailable | $304.72 |
How the 33947 rate is calculated
Each of 33947’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 · 33947
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work6.46
6.46 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.36
1.36 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.41
1.41 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
9.2300
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$308.29
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33947
33947 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.
Place of service · 33947
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
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33947 isn’t priced in this setting.
33947 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 33946ECMO initiation
- Both codes report ECMO/ECLS initiation; 33947 is for venoarterial support, while 33946 is for venovenous support.
- 33949ECMO management
- 33949 is for daily management of venoarterial ECMO/ECLS, not starting the circuit.
- 33951ECMO cannulation
- 33951 represents peripheral cannula insertion. It describes cannulation work rather than the initiation service reported by 33947.
- 33955Central cannulation
- 33955 represents central cannula insertion, whereas 33947 reports initiation of venoarterial ECMO/ECLS.
33947 billing questions
When should 33947 be chosen instead of 33946?
Use 33947 for venoarterial ECMO/ECLS initiation, with blood returned to the arterial circulation. Code 33946 describes venovenous initiation.
Is 33947 for daily ECMO management?
No. It represents initiation. Daily management of venoarterial ECMO is represented by 33949.
Can cannula insertion be reported separately?
ECMO cannula insertion has separate codes, including codes for peripheral and central cannula placement. Document the cannulation work and site to support the applicable insertion code.
What documentation supports 33947?
Document the indication for extracorporeal support, the venoarterial configuration, and the physician’s work initiating the circuit. Distinguish initiation from subsequent daily management.
Does 33947 describe venovenous support?
No. It describes venoarterial initiation. Venovenous initiation is reported with 33946.
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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