Billing code 33286: Monitor removalMedicare rate & RVUs in Virginia
Report 33286 when a clinician removes an implanted subcutaneous cardiac rhythm monitor, such as an implantable loop recorder, from its pocket.
Medicare pays $124.23–$145.05 for 33286 in the office in Virginia, from Virginia to Dc + Md/Va Suburbs. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 33286 covers
A physician, often an electrophysiologist or cardiologist, removes an implanted subcutaneous cardiac rhythm monitor through an incision over the device. The clinician frees the monitor from the subcutaneous pocket, extracts it, and closes the incision. Removal may follow completion of diagnostic monitoring, battery depletion, or a decision to replace the device. The service is performed in office or facility settings where the implanted monitor can be removed.
Report 33286 for removal, not placement or device interrogation alone. Documentation should identify the implanted monitor, the reason for removal, and the work of extracting it. Pocket access, dissection, removal, and routine closure are part of the removal service. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. If other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Bilateral adjustment is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment is statutorily restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery 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 33286 pays more and less in Virginia
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Dc + Md/Va Suburbs | $145.05 | $81.31 |
| Virginia | $124.23 | $71.04 |
How the 33286 rate is calculated
Each of 33286’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 · 33286
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.46
1.46 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense2.04
2.04 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.36
0.36 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
3.8600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$128.93
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33286
The CMS indicators that decide how 33286 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 33286
Monitor removal
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is 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. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
33286 without 51 · national office
$128.93
Monitor removal
33286-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$64.47
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%).
33286 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 33285Rhythm monitor
- 33285 is for placing a subcutaneous cardiac rhythm monitor; 33286 is for removing one. Report both when removal and replacement are performed and documented in the same session.
- 33272Defibrillator removal
- 33272 removes a subcutaneous implantable defibrillator. Use 33286 for removal of a subcutaneous cardiac rhythm monitor, such as an implantable loop recorder.
- 33233Pacemaker generator removal
- 33233 removes a permanent pacemaker pulse generator. It does not describe removal of a subcutaneous cardiac rhythm monitor.
33286 billing questions
When should 33286 be chosen instead of 33285?
Use 33286 for removal of an implanted subcutaneous cardiac rhythm monitor. Use 33285 for placement; when an old monitor is removed and a new one placed in the same session, both services may be reported when supported.
Is routine pocket closure separately reported?
Routine access, pocket dissection, extraction, and closure are part of the removal service. Separate reporting requires a distinct, separately supported service.
Can modifier 50 be used when monitors are removed from both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
What does the 0-day global period include?
Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the procedure.
How is 33286 paid when another procedure is performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. The assistant-at-surgery statutory restriction applies, and co-surgeons and team surgery are 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
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