No office rate
Both describe endoscopic surgical atrial ablation, but 33265 represents a limited lesion set; 33266 represents an extensive one.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
33266 Atrial ablation Medicare reimbursement rates in Wisconsin
Reports extensive surgical ablation of atrial tissue through an endoscopic approach, typically for atrial fibrillation when a broader lesion set is performed without cardiopulmonary bypass. Compare 33266 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Wisconsin.
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 33266 in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin 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
$1539.67
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Wisconsin
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 33266: Extensive endoscopic atrial ablation
Reports extensive surgical ablation of atrial tissue through an endoscopic approach, typically for atrial fibrillation when a broader lesion set is performed without cardiopulmonary bypass.
This code represents extensive surgical ablation of atrial tissue using an endoscopic approach without cardiopulmonary bypass. Cardiac surgeons may perform it for atrial fibrillation using thoracoscopic access to create a broader lesion pattern, such as a maze-type procedure. It describes surgical treatment of atrial tissue, rather than catheter-based ablation inside the heart. The extent of the ablation, not simply the number of access sites, distinguishes it from a limited procedure.
Report the code when the operative record supports an extensive atrial lesion set and the endoscopic approach. Documentation should identify the treatment performed, access method, and whether cardiopulmonary bypass was used. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this atrial procedure. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 33266
- 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 paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU32.21 · 62%
- Practice expense (office) RVU11.93 · 23%
- Malpractice RVU7.98 · 15%
936
Medicare services in 2024 · #3020 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.
33266 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Wisconsin, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Both describe extensive atrial ablation without cardiopulmonary bypass. Choose 33266 for the endoscopic approach and 33255 for the non-endoscopic approach.
No office rate
33256 describes extensive atrial ablation performed with cardiopulmonary bypass; 33266 describes the endoscopic procedure without bypass.
No office rate
33261 treats a dysrhythmogenic focus in the heart. It is not the code for an extensive endoscopic atrial lesion set.
Compare 33266 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
Wisconsin →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1539.67
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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 33266 in Wisconsin.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,889
- Code
- 33266
- Physician work
- 32.21
- Practice expense
- 11.93
- Malpractice
- 7.98
GPCI2026.csv
111
- Locality
- Wisconsin
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.958
- Malpractice
- 0.308
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 32.21 | × 1.000 | 32.2100 |
| Practice expense | 11.93 | × 0.958 | 11.4289 |
| Malpractice | 7.98 | × 0.308 | 2.4578 |
| Total RVUs | 46.0968 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Wisconsin$1539.67
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 32.21 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 11.93 | 0.958 |
| Malpractice | 7.98 | 0.308 |
(32.21 × 1 + 11.93 × 0.958 + 7.98 × 0.308) × $33.4009 = $1539.67
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.
33266 billing questions
How does this differ from 33265?
33266 is for an extensive atrial ablation lesion set. Use 33265 when the surgical ablation is limited rather than extensive.
How does this differ from 33255?
33266 identifies an endoscopic approach. Code 33255 is the extensive atrial ablation alternative for a non-endoscopic approach without cardiopulmonary bypass.
What operative details support reporting 33266?
The operative report should describe the extensive atrial ablation performed, the endoscopic access, and whether cardiopulmonary bypass was used.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
Should modifier 50 be appended?
No. The code describes an atrial procedure for which modifier 50 is inappropriate.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care through 90 days after surgery.
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.
3,88633263,,Rmvl & rplcmt dfb gen 2 lead,A,,5.93,2.92,NA,2.92,,1.40,10.25,10.25,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,88733264,,Rmvl & rplcmt dfb gen mlt ld,A,,6.19,2.99,NA,2.99,,1.46,10.64,10.64,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,88833265,,Ablate atria lmtd endo,A,,23.12,9.94,NA,9.94,,5.69,38.75,38.75,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,88933266,,Ablate atria x10sv endo,A,,32.21,11.93,NA,11.93,,7.98,52.12,52.12,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,89033267,,Excl laa open any method,A,,18.04,7.13,NA,7.13,,4.43,29.60,29.60,0,090,0.09,0.84,0.07,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,89133268,,Excl laa opn oth px any meth,A,,2.44,0.48,NA,0.48,,0.59,3.51,3.51,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,89233269,,Excl laa thrscp any method,A,,13.95,6.42,NA,6.42,,3.46,23.83,23.83,0,090,0.09,0.81,0.10,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
10802402,WA,02,SEATTLE (KING CNTY),1.050,1.227,0.817
10902402,WA,99,REST OF WASHINGTON,1.013,1.053,0.761
11011402,WV,16,WEST VIRGINIA,1.000,0.869,1.431
11106302,WI,00,WISCONSIN,1.000,0.958,0.308
11203602,WY,21,WYOMING**,1.000,1.000,0.740
113"MAC Assignments as of November 22, 2023",,,,,,
114,,,,,,