No office rate
33030 is for partial or subtotal pericardial removal. Choose 33031 when the documented operation is a radical pericardiectomy.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33030 Pericardiectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Pennsylvania
Reports surgical removal of part of the pericardium, commonly to relieve constrictive pericarditis when the operation is not radical. Compare 33030 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Pennsylvania.
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 33030 in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$1827.80–$1971.99
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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 33030: Partial or subtotal pericardiectomy
Reports surgical removal of part of the pericardium, commonly to relieve constrictive pericarditis when the operation is not radical.
A cardiac or thoracic surgeon removes a portion of the pericardium, the sac surrounding the heart. The operation is commonly performed for constrictive pericarditis, when thickened, scarred, or calcified pericardium restricts the heart’s filling. It takes place in an operating room and may involve an open chest approach. The documented extent of tissue removal distinguishes a partial or subtotal operation from a more extensive resection.
Report this code when the operative note supports partial or subtotal pericardial removal; the diagnosis alone does not establish the extent. Include the indication, operative approach, and tissue removed in the record. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this anatomy. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 33030
- 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
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU35.10 · 62%
- Practice expense (office) RVU12.42 · 22%
- Malpractice RVU8.70 · 15%
223
Medicare services in 2024 · #4224 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.
33030 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Pennsylvania, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
33025 creates a pericardial window to permit drainage; 33030 reports partial or subtotal removal of pericardium.
No office rate
33020 describes pericardial incision, with or without drainage. It does not represent the partial or subtotal resection reported with 33030.
No office rate
33016 is image-guided needle drainage of the pericardial space. It is distinct from operative removal of pericardial tissue.
Compare 33030 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Metropolitan Philadelphia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1971.99
Rest Of Pennsylvania →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1827.80
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33030 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from 33031?
Use 33030 for partial or subtotal removal. Code 33031 represents a radical pericardiectomy; the operative documentation should support the extent performed.
When would 33025 be considered instead?
Code 33025 describes creation of a pericardial window for drainage. Code 33030 is for removal of part of the pericardium, rather than a drainage window.
Does the 90-day global period include postoperative visits?
Yes. The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can modifier 50 be appended?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code because of the descriptor or anatomy.
How are assistant and co-surgeon services treated?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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.
3,8183301F,,Cancer stage docd metast,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
3,81933020,,Incision of heart sac,A,,13.95,6.10,NA,6.10,,3.41,23.46,23.46,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,82033025,,Incision of heart sac,A,,12.87,6.11,NA,6.11,,3.18,22.16,22.16,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,82133030,,Partial removal of heart sac,A,,35.10,12.42,NA,12.42,,8.70,56.22,56.22,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,82233031,,Partial removal of heart sac,A,,43.88,14.45,NA,14.45,,10.88,69.21,69.21,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,82333050,,Resect heart sac lesion,A,,16.55,8.30,NA,8.30,,4.17,29.02,29.02,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,82433120,,Exc icar tum resc w/card byp,A,,37.49,11.70,NA,11.70,,9.24,58.43,58.43,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00