No office rate
Choose 33800 for anterior suspension of the aorta to relieve tracheal compression. Code 33802 describes division of an aberrant vessel.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33800 Aortopexy Medicare reimbursement rates in Vermont
Aortopexy suspends the aorta anteriorly to relieve documented tracheal compression, typically when vascular impingement contributes to severe tracheomalacia. Compare 33800 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Vermont.
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 33800 in Vermont?
Vermont 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
$863.95
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Vermont
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.
Cardiothoracic surgery
About 33800: Aortic suspension for airway compression
Aortopexy suspends the aorta anteriorly to relieve documented tracheal compression, typically when vascular impingement contributes to severe tracheomalacia.
Aortopexy moves the aorta away from the trachea by securing it anteriorly, typically toward the sternum. Thoracic or congenital cardiac surgeons perform it in an operating room when vascular compression contributes to clinically significant airway obstruction, often in a patient with severe tracheomalacia. The operative report should identify the compressing aortic anatomy and describe the suspension performed; airway symptoms alone do not establish that this procedure was done.
Report this code when the surgeon performs aortic suspension for tracheal compression, rather than dividing an aberrant vessel or repairing a different vascular lesion. Documentation should support the indication, operative anatomy, and suspension technique. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made, co-surgeons are permitted, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 33800
- 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
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU16.85 · 60%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.94 · 25%
- Malpractice RVU4.24 · 15%
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.
33800 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Vermont, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Code 33803 describes division of an aberrant vessel followed by reanastomosis; it is not the code for suspending the aorta.
No office rate
Code 33820 describes repair of a patent ductus by ligation. Use 33800 when the operation suspends the aorta to address tracheal compression.
Compare 33800 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
Vermont →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$863.95
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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 33800 in Vermont.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
4,075
- Code
- 33800
- Physician work
- 16.85
- Practice expense
- 6.94
- Malpractice
- 4.24
GPCI2026.csv
105
- Locality
- Vermont
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.990
- Malpractice
- 0.506
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 16.85 | × 1.000 | 16.8500 |
| Practice expense | 6.94 | × 0.990 | 6.8706 |
| Malpractice | 4.24 | × 0.506 | 2.1454 |
| Total RVUs | 25.8660 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Vermont$863.95
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 16.85 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 6.94 | 0.99 |
| Malpractice | 4.24 | 0.506 |
(16.85 × 1 + 6.94 × 0.99 + 4.24 × 0.506) × $33.4009 = $863.95
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.
33800 billing questions
When is aortopexy reported instead of division of an aberrant vessel?
Report aortopexy when the surgeon suspends the aorta anteriorly to relieve tracheal compression. Division of an aberrant vessel describes a different operation directed at that vessel.
Does the 90-day global period include routine postoperative care?
Yes. The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Should modifier 50 be appended for bilateral work?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made, and co-surgeons are permitted. Team surgery is not permitted.
How does the multiple-procedure reduction affect this code?
When procedures are performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard 50% reduction to the others.
What operative documentation supports this code?
Document the aortic anatomy causing tracheal compression and the anterior suspension performed. The record should distinguish aortopexy from a vessel division or another vascular repair.
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.
4,07233786,,Repair arterial trunk,A,,40.82,12.03,NA,12.03,,10.29,63.14,63.14,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,07333788,,Revision of pulmonary artery,A,,26.73,9.62,NA,9.62,,6.71,43.06,43.06,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,0743378F,,Ajcc brstcncr stage 3 docd,I,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,07533800,,Aortic suspension,A,,16.85,6.94,NA,6.94,,4.24,28.03,28.03,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,07633802,,Division aberrant vessel,A,,17.91,8.88,NA,8.88,,4.51,31.30,31.30,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,07733803,,Div aberrant vsl w/reanast,A,,19.80,7.76,NA,7.76,,4.97,32.53,32.53,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,0783380F,,Ajcc brstcncr stage 4 docd,I,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
10802402,WA,02,SEATTLE (KING CNTY),1.050,1.227,0.817