Billing code 33272: Defibrillator removalMedicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Removal of an implanted subcutaneous defibrillator system, including its generator and electrode, by a clinician performing a device extraction procedure.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33272 in Texas.
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 33272 covers
This code describes removal of a subcutaneous implantable defibrillator system, including the pulse generator and electrode or electrodes. An electrophysiologist or cardiac surgeon typically performs the extraction in a hospital operating room or electrophysiology setting. The procedure may be needed for infection, device malfunction, or another clinical reason for taking the system out. The subcutaneous system is distinct from a transvenous ICD, whose lead runs through the veins into the heart.
Report the code when the documented procedure removes the subcutaneous defibrillator system; record the device type, components removed, indication, and operative work. CMS assigns 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 multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery services are not paid, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing 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.
Where 33272 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | Unavailable | $311.35 |
| Beaumont | Unavailable | $299.02 |
| Brazoria | Unavailable | $301.83 |
| Dallas | Unavailable | $305.68 |
| Fort Worth | Unavailable | $305.28 |
| Galveston | Unavailable | $303.99 |
| Houston | Unavailable | $326.50 |
| Rest Of Texas | Unavailable | $301.57 |
How the 33272 rate is calculated
Each of 33272’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 · 33272
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 5.28Practice expense 2.78Malpractice 1.23
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33272
33272 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 33272
Defibrillator removal
| 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 · 33272
Defibrillator removal
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
33272 without 51 · national facility
$310.29
Defibrillator removal
33272-51 · 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%).
33272 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
33272 vs 33270 vs 33271 vs 33263: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 33270Defibrillator implant
- Use 33270 for insertion or replacement of a subcutaneous ICD system. Use 33272 when the subcutaneous system is being removed.
- 33271Defibrillator electrode
- 33271 covers insertion of a subcutaneous ICD electrode. It is not the code for extracting an implanted system.
- 33263ICD generator exchange
- 33263 describes removal and replacement of a transvenous ICD pulse generator with two leads. This code is for removal of a subcutaneous defibrillator system.
33272 billing questions
How is removal distinguished from subcutaneous ICD implantation or replacement?
This code is for taking out the subcutaneous defibrillator system. Code 33270 describes insertion or replacement of a subcutaneous ICD system.
Does this code include removal of the electrode?
The code covers removal of the subcutaneous system, including its electrode or electrodes. Document which system components were removed.
Can modifier 50 be used for removal on both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
How does the 90-day global period affect follow-up billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be billed?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted under the CMS rules provided.
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
Fee sheets
Put 33272 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →