Billing code 33508: Vein harvestMedicare rate & RVUs in Rhode Island
Reports endoscopic procurement of vein for coronary artery bypass surgery as an add-on to a qualifying CABG procedure.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33508 in Rhode Island.
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 33508 covers
During coronary artery bypass surgery, this service captures endoscopic procurement of a vein conduit, most often the saphenous vein from the leg, for use in the bypass. The surgeon or another qualified member of the cardiac surgical team works through small incisions using an endoscope to locate, free, and retrieve the conduit. The bypass graft is fashioned and connected as part of the primary operation; 33508 represents the vein-harvest work, not the coronary bypass anastomoses.
Report 33508 as an add-on with an eligible CABG primary procedure when the vein was harvested endoscopically. It may accompany vein-only, combined artery-and-vein, or arterial CABG coding when the operative report supports the qualifying bypass and documents the endoscopic harvest. Do not report it alone. Under the CMS rule for this code, payment falls within the primary procedure's global period. Documentation should identify the harvested conduit and site, the endoscopic approach, and its intended use for coronary revascularization.
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.
33508 in Rhode Island
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | Unavailable | $14.37 |
How the 33508 rate is calculated
Each of 33508’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 · 33508
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.30
0.30 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.06
0.06 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.07
0.07 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.4300
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$14.36
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33508
The CMS indicators that decide how 33508 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 33508
Vein harvest
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 80 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
33508 without 80 · national facility
$14.36
Vein harvest
33508-80 · Assistant: 16%
$2.30
A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.
33508 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 33509Artery harvest
- 33509 reports endoscopic harvest of an upper-extremity artery for CABG. Use 33508 for endoscopic vein harvest.
- 33510Coronary bypass
- 33510 reports a single-vein CABG bypass, not the endoscopic procurement of the vein. 33508 is an add-on when that harvest is performed endoscopically.
- 33517Combined CABG
- 33517 describes a combined artery-and-vein CABG procedure. It is a primary bypass code; 33508 separately identifies eligible endoscopic vein-harvest work.
- 33533Arterial CABG
- 33533 reports arterial CABG. 33508 identifies endoscopic vein procurement when it is also performed for the bypass.
33508 billing questions
Can 33508 be reported by itself?
No. It is an add-on and must be reported with a qualifying primary CABG procedure.
Which CABG procedures can be paired with 33508?
It may be paired with eligible vein-only, combined artery-and-vein, or arterial CABG procedures when the record supports endoscopic vein harvest for the bypass.
How is 33508 different from 33510?
33508 reports the endoscopic harvest of vein; 33510 reports a single-vein coronary bypass. The harvest code supplements the bypass procedure rather than replacing it.
What should the operative report document?
Document the vein and harvest site, the endoscopic approach, and that the conduit was procured for coronary bypass.
How does the CMS global-period rule affect payment?
CMS treats 33508 as an add-on paid within the global period of the primary CABG procedure.
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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