Billing code 33305: Heart wound repairMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Report this code when a surgeon repairs a wound of the heart using cardiopulmonary bypass, such as during emergency surgery for cardiac injury.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33305 in Washington.
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 33305 covers
A cardiac surgeon uses this code to repair a wound in the heart while the patient is supported by cardiopulmonary bypass. A typical setting is a hospital operating room during urgent surgery for a penetrating chest injury or an injury to the heart wall. The service is the repair itself, not exploration alone; the operative record should identify the heart injury and document that bypass was used during repair.
Choose this code rather than 33300 when cardiopulmonary bypass supports the repair. Document the injury, repair performed, and bypass use in the operative report. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. CMS may pay an assistant at surgery; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery 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 33305 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | Unavailable | $3,685.10 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | Unavailable | $3,923.88 |
How the 33305 rate is calculated
Each of 33305’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 · 33305
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 75.01Practice expense 19.13Malpractice 18.66
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 33305
33305 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 33305
Heart wound repair
| 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 · 33305
Heart wound repair
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
33305 without 51 · national facility
$3,767.62
Heart wound repair
33305-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$1,883.81
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%).
33305 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
33305 vs 33300 vs 33310 vs 33315 vs 33320: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 33300Heart wound repair
- Both codes describe heart wound repair. The distinguishing factor is cardiopulmonary bypass: 33305 is for repair with bypass, while 33300 is for repair without it.
- 33310Heart exploration
- This code is for heart exploration without bypass when no wound repair is performed. Report 33305 when the surgeon repairs a heart wound using bypass.
- 33315Heart exploration
- This code is for heart exploration with bypass without wound repair. A completed heart wound repair with bypass points to 33305.
- 33320Major vessel repair
- 33320 concerns repair of a major blood vessel. Use 33305 when the injured structure being repaired is the heart.
33305 billing questions
How does 33305 differ from 33300?
Use 33305 when cardiopulmonary bypass is used for the heart wound repair. Use 33300 for repair without bypass.
Can 33305 be reported for exploration without a repair?
No. This code represents repair of a heart wound with bypass. When the surgeon explores the heart but does not repair a wound, consider the applicable exploration code instead.
Should modifier 50 be appended for wounds on both sides of the heart?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code; CMS does not apply a bilateral adjustment.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS may pay an assistant at surgery. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery 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
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