CPT code 33621: Cardiac stent2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports stent placement through direct chest access to treat a congenital cardiovascular narrowing, with balloon dilation included when performed as part of the service.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33621 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 33621 covers
This service places a stent in a narrowed cardiovascular structure using catheter access through the chest, rather than a routine percutaneous vascular approach. It is generally performed in an operating room by a cardiac surgeon, often during treatment of congenital heart disease; the target may include a pulmonary artery or another surgically accessible vessel. Balloon dilation may accompany the stent placement as part of the service.
Report the code when the operative record identifies the treated lesion and vessel, the transthoracic access, and the stent placement. The CMS 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team-surgery payment is 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 33621 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 | $884.14 |
| Beaumont | Unavailable | $855.42 |
| Brazoria | Unavailable | $858.14 |
| Dallas | Unavailable | $870.14 |
| Fort Worth | Unavailable | $869.61 |
| Galveston | Unavailable | $864.95 |
| Houston | Unavailable | $937.62 |
| Rest Of Texas | Unavailable | $860.76 |
How the 33621 rate is calculated
Each of 33621’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 · 33621
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work15.78
15.78 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.75
6.75 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice3.97
3.97 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
26.5000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$885.12
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33621
33621 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 33621
Cardiac stent
| 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) | 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. |
| 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 · 33621
Cardiac stent
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
33621 without 51 · national facility
$885.12
Cardiac stent
33621-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$442.56
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%).
33621 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 37236Arterial stent
- Use 33621 for stent placement through transthoracic access; 37236 describes percutaneous stenting of an initial noncoronary vessel.
- 92997Pulmonary angioplasty
- 92997 describes percutaneous pulmonary artery balloon angioplasty. It is not the transthoracic stent service described by 33621.
- 33622Congenital heart surgery
- 33622 describes a redo operation for a complex cardiac anomaly; 33621 concerns catheter-based stent placement through chest access, not the redo repair itself.
33621 billing questions
How is this different from percutaneous stent placement?
This code describes catheter access through the chest for stent placement. A percutaneous stent code describes a different access route.
Is balloon dilation separately reported with the stent?
Balloon dilation performed as part of the transthoracic stent procedure is included in this service; the code covers stent placement with or without that dilation.
Can modifier 50 be used for right- and left-sided treatment?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code; report the service based on the procedure performed and applicable coding instructions.
What documentation supports the service?
Document the congenital or cardiovascular lesion, the vessel treated, transthoracic catheter access, and the stent placement. Include balloon dilation details when performed.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative care?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while team-surgery payment 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 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 33621 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 →