No office rate
33984 applies to peripheral cannula removal. This code is for central cannulae removed without sternotomy or thoracotomy.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33986 ECMO cannula removal Medicare reimbursement rates in Utah
Reports removal of central ECMO or ECLS cannulae through an approach other than sternotomy or thoracotomy, including repair of the vessel. Compare 33986 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Utah.
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 33986 in Utah?
Utah has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$464.82
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Utah
One mapped payment locality.
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 33986: Central ECMO cannula removal without chest incision
Reports removal of central ECMO or ECLS cannulae through an approach other than sternotomy or thoracotomy, including repair of the vessel.
This code is for removing central cannulae used for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or extracorporeal life support when the removal approach is not a sternotomy or thoracotomy. The work includes repair of the involved vessel, with or without a patch graft. A cardiothoracic or cardiovascular surgeon typically performs the procedure when a patient is being decannulated after central ECMO/ECLS support, commonly in an operating room or another setting equipped for surgical vascular management.
Select this code based on the cannula location and removal approach: central cannulae removed without sternotomy or thoracotomy belong here, while the sternotomy/thoracotomy approach is represented by 33985. The operative report should identify the central cannulae, approach, removal, and any vessel repair. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires medical-necessity documentation; co-surgeon and team-surgery payment require supporting documentation.
CMS billing rules for 33986
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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 is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery paid only with supporting documentation.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU9.75 · 68%
- Practice expense (office) RVU2.13 · 15%
- Malpractice RVU2.41 · 17%
225
Medicare services in 2024 · #4218 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.
33986 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Utah, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
33985 applies when central cannulae are removed through sternotomy or thoracotomy. This code describes central cannula removal through another approach.
Compare 33986 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.
1 of 1 payment localities
Utah →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$464.82
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 33986 in Utah.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
4,170
- Code
- 33986
- Physician work
- 9.75
- Practice expense
- 2.13
- Malpractice
- 2.41
GPCI2026.csv
104
- Locality
- Utah
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.940
- Malpractice
- 0.898
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 9.75 | × 1.000 | 9.7500 |
| Practice expense | 2.13 | × 0.940 | 2.0022 |
| Malpractice | 2.41 | × 0.898 | 2.1642 |
| Total RVUs | 13.9164 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Utah$464.82
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 9.75 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 2.13 | 0.94 |
| Malpractice | 2.41 | 0.898 |
(9.75 × 1 + 2.13 × 0.94 + 2.41 × 0.898) × $33.4009 = $464.82
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
33986 billing questions
How does 33986 differ from 33985?
Both report removal of central ECMO/ECLS cannulae. Use 33986 for an approach other than sternotomy or thoracotomy; use 33985 when removal is through a sternotomy or thoracotomy.
When should 33984 be used instead?
33984 is for removal of peripheral ECMO/ECLS cannulae. Choose based on whether the cannulae are peripheral or central, not simply on the fact that the patient is being decannulated.
Is vessel repair included in 33986?
Yes. The service includes repair of the involved vessel, with or without a patch graft.
Can modifier 50 be reported for removal of cannulae on both sides?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Report the service according to the applicable code and documentation rather than treating it as a bilateral procedure.
What documentation supports 33986?
The operative report should establish that the cannulae were central, describe the removal approach as other than sternotomy or thoracotomy, and document any vessel repair.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, with other procedures subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires medical-necessity documentation; co-surgeon and team-surgery payment require supporting documentation.
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.
4,16733983,,Replace vad intra w/bp,A,,43.43,8.92,NA,8.92,,10.43,62.78,62.78,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16833984,,Ecmo/ecls rmvl prph cannula,A,,5.32,1.11,NA,1.11,,1.31,7.74,7.74,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16933985,,Ecmo/ecls rmvl ctr cannula,A,,9.64,2.13,NA,2.13,,2.32,14.09,14.09,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,17033986,,Ecmo/ecls rmvl ctr cannula,A,,9.75,2.13,NA,2.13,,2.41,14.29,14.29,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,17133987,,Artery expos/graft artery,A,,3.94,0.81,NA,0.81,,0.95,5.70,5.70,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,17233988,,Insertion of left heart vent,A,,14.63,3.16,NA,3.16,,3.49,21.28,21.28,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,17333989,,Removal of left heart vent,A,,9.26,2.05,NA,2.05,,2.21,13.52,13.52,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
10104412,TX,15,GALVESTON,1.008,0.993,0.828
10204412,TX,18,HOUSTON,1.008,0.993,1.376
10304412,TX,99,REST OF TEXAS,1.000,0.949,0.903
10403502,UT,09,UTAH,1.000,0.940,0.898
10514512,VT,50,VERMONT,1.000,0.990,0.506
10611302,VA,00,VIRGINIA,1.000,0.983,0.706
10709202,VI,50,VIRGIN ISLANDS,1.000,1.011,0.985