No office rate
Both involve removal of aortic circulatory-support equipment. Use the code whose full CPT descriptor matches the specific device and service documented.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33974 Balloon removal Medicare reimbursement rates in Pennsylvania
Removal of an intra-aortic balloon used for temporary circulatory support, reported when the balloon is taken out after the support period ends. Compare 33974 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 33974 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
$843.56–$914.02
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.
Cardiovascular surgery
About 33974: Intra-aortic balloon removal
Removal of an intra-aortic balloon used for temporary circulatory support, reported when the balloon is taken out after the support period ends.
This service covers removal of an intra-aortic balloon used for temporary mechanical circulatory support, commonly after a patient’s hemodynamic status improves or the care team changes the support plan. It is generally performed in a hospital by a cardiovascular surgeon or another physician qualified to manage the balloon and its access site. The clinical record should make clear that the device removed was an intra-aortic balloon, rather than a ventricular assist device or another aortic support device.
Report the service for the removal itself, supported by the procedure note identifying the device, the removal performed, and the clinical circumstances. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, which includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. If 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. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 33974
- 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 RVU14.65 · 56%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.95 · 30%
- Malpractice RVU3.50 · 13%
17
Medicare services in 2024 · #6005 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.
33974 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Pennsylvania, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
This code concerns balloon-device insertion; 33974 is for removal of an intra-aortic balloon.
No office rate
This code is for removal of a ventricular assist device. Use 33974 when the device removed is an intra-aortic balloon.
Compare 33974 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
$914.02
Rest Of Pennsylvania →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$843.56
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33974 billing questions
How is this code different from 33968?
Both codes concern aortic circulatory-support device removal, but their descriptors distinguish the services. Confirm the device and removal circumstances in the operative note and select the code whose full CPT descriptor matches.
Can balloon insertion and removal be reported together?
Insertion and removal are different services and may occur at different points in care. Report removal only when the balloon is actually taken out; the insertion code does not describe that work.
Does the 90-day global period include postoperative care?
Yes. CMS includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care in this code’s major-surgery global period.
Can modifier 50 or an assistant-at-surgery modifier be used?
Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code.
What documentation supports reporting this service?
The procedure note should identify the intra-aortic balloon, document that it was removed, and describe the clinical circumstances surrounding removal.
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.
4,15533970,,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
4,16033976,,Implant ventricular device,A,,29.98,6.15,NA,6.15,,7.20,43.33,43.33,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,2,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16133977,,Remove ventricular device,A,,20.34,5.71,NA,5.71,,4.95,31.00,31.00,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00