No office rate
Use 33979 for an implantable intracorporeal device supporting one ventricle; 33975 describes an extracorporeal single-ventricle device.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33979 Ventricular assist device Medicare reimbursement rates in Vermont
Reports surgical placement of an implantable intracorporeal ventricular assist device configured to support one ventricle, commonly for advanced heart failure. Compare 33979 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 33979 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
$1617.45
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.
Cardiac surgery
About 33979: Implantable single-ventricle assist device insertion
Reports surgical placement of an implantable intracorporeal ventricular assist device configured to support one ventricle, commonly for advanced heart failure.
This code describes surgical implantation of an intracorporeal ventricular assist device to support one ventricle. Cardiothoracic surgeons typically perform the operation in a hospital operating room for patients with advanced heart failure who need mechanical circulatory support, such as as a bridge to transplant or longer-term therapy. The operative record should establish that the device is implantable and intracorporeal and identify the ventricle supported.
Select this code for the implanted, single-ventricle configuration; extracorporeal devices and percutaneous catheter-delivered support use different codes. Documentation should describe the device placement and whether support is for one ventricle or both. When multiple procedures subject to the CMS multiple procedure reduction are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are paid at 50%.
CMS billing rules for 33979
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU36.56 · 69%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.38 · 14%
- Malpractice RVU9.01 · 17%
901
Medicare services in 2024 · #3039 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.
33979 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Vermont, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
33976 describes an extracorporeal device configured for biventricular support. 33979 is for an implantable intracorporeal device supporting one ventricle.
No office rate
33990 describes percutaneous insertion of a left-heart assist device through arterial access, rather than surgical implantation of an intracorporeal device.
No office rate
33980 describes removal of an implantable intracorporeal assist device; 33979 reports its insertion.
Compare 33979 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
$1617.45
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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 33979 in Vermont.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
4,163
- Code
- 33979
- Physician work
- 36.56
- Practice expense
- 7.38
- Malpractice
- 9.01
GPCI2026.csv
105
- Locality
- Vermont
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.990
- Malpractice
- 0.506
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 36.56 | × 1.000 | 36.5600 |
| Practice expense | 7.38 | × 0.990 | 7.3062 |
| Malpractice | 9.01 | × 0.506 | 4.5591 |
| Total RVUs | 48.4253 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Vermont$1617.45
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 36.56 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 7.38 | 0.99 |
| Malpractice | 9.01 | 0.506 |
(36.56 × 1 + 7.38 × 0.99 + 9.01 × 0.506) × $33.4009 = $1617.45
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.
33979 billing questions
When should 33979 be selected?
Use it for surgical implantation of an intracorporeal assist device configured to support one ventricle. The operative report should support the implantable device type and single-ventricle configuration.
How does 33979 differ from 33975 or 33976?
33979 describes an implantable intracorporeal device. Codes 33975 and 33976 describe extracorporeal devices, with the latter supporting both ventricles.
How does 33979 differ from 33990 or 33991?
33979 is for surgical implantation of an intracorporeal device. Codes 33990 and 33991 describe percutaneous left-heart assist device insertion using different access configurations.
Should 33979 be used for device removal or pump replacement?
No. Code 33980 describes removal of an implantable intracorporeal device, while 33982 and 33983 describe pump replacement procedures.
How is 33979 paid when other procedures occur in the same session?
Under the CMS multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50%.
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.
4,16033976,,Implant ventricular device,A,,29.98,6.15,NA,6.15,,7.20,43.33,43.33,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,2,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16133977,,Remove ventricular device,A,,20.34,5.71,NA,5.71,,4.95,31.00,31.00,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16233978,,Remove ventricular device,A,,24.38,6.81,NA,6.81,,5.84,37.03,37.03,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,2,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16333979,,Insert intracorporeal device,A,,36.56,7.38,NA,7.38,,9.01,52.95,52.95,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16433980,,Remove intracorporeal device,A,,32.66,8.26,NA,8.26,,8.07,48.99,48.99,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16533981,,Replace vad pump ext,A,,15.71,3.23,NA,3.23,,3.75,22.69,22.69,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4,16633982,,Replace vad intra w/o bp,A,,36.91,7.57,NA,7.57,,8.85,53.33,53.33,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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