33278 Rmvl phrnc nrv stim sys
What 33278 is
CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Rmvl phrnc nrv stim sys.
Full CPT long descriptions are licensed by the American Medical Association and are not published on this site; the short descriptor above is the one CMS prints in its own fee schedule file. See About CPT.
Medicare payment for 33278 (CY2026)
| Work RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 9.31 | 3.51 | 2.06 | 14.88 | $497.01 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 9.31 | 3.51 | 2.06 | 14.88 | $497.01 |
National rates: total RVUs x the CY2026 conversion factor of 33.4009 (non-QP), before geographic adjustment. Actual Medicare payment is 80% of the rate shown after the deductible; the patient or secondary payer owes the 20% coinsurance.
Status: Active - payable under the Physician Fee Schedule. Global period: 90-day global period.
Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)
Medicare caps 33278 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 2 - date of service edit (absolute): units above the MUE never pay), rationale: Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.
Billed with 33278? These codes are bundled into it
33278 is a Column 1 code in 34 active NCCI PTP edits. When one of these Column 2 codes is reported on the same date of service, it is denied as bundled - unless the edit's modifier indicator is 1 and documentation supports a distinct service with an NCCI-associated modifier.
| Column 2 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
11000 | Dbrdmt ecz/infected skin<10% | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
11004 | Dbrdmt skin xtrnl gent&per | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
11005 | Dbrdmt skin abdominal wall | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
11006 | Dbrdmt skin xtrnl gent per | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
11042 | Dbrdmt subq tis 1st 20sqcm/< | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
11043 | Dbrdmt musc&/fsca 1st 20/< | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
11044 | Dbrdmt bone 1st 20 sq cm/< | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
33277 | Insj phrnc nrv stim transvns | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
35201 | Repair blood vessel dir neck | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35206 | Repair blood vessel dir uxtr | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35207 | Rpr bld vsl dir hand finger | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35211 | Rpr blvsl dir ntrathrc w/byp | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35216 | Rpr blvsl dir ntrthrc wo byp | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35221 | Rpr bld vsl dir intra-abdl | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35226 | Repair blood vessel dir lxtr | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35231 | Repair blvsl vn grf neck | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35236 | Repair blvsl vn grf uxtr | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35241 | Rpr blvsl vn grf ntrthrc w/b | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35246 | Rpr blvsl vn grf ntrthrc w/o | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35251 | Rpr blvsl vn grf intra-abdl | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35256 | Repair blvsl vn grf lxtr | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35261 | Rpr blvsl grf oth/thn vn nck | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35266 | Rpr blvsl grf oth/th vn uxtr | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35271 | Rpr blvs gr ot/th vn ntrth w | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35276 | Rpr blvs gr ot/t vn ntrth wo | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35281 | Rpr blvsl gr ot/th vn ntr-ab | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
35286 | Rpr blvsl grf oth/th vn lxtr | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
36591 | Draw blood off venous device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
36592 | Collect blood from picc | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
69990 | Microsurgery add-on | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
Showing 30 of 34 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.
33278 is bundled into these codes
33278 appears as a Column 2 code in 4 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 33278 is the code that denies.
| Column 1 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
33276 | Insj phrnc nrv stim sys | 0 | Check pair |
33281 | Reposg phrnc nrv stim trnsvn | 0 | Check pair |
33287 | Rmv&rplcmt phrnc nrv stim pg | 0 | Check pair |
33288 | Rmv&rplcmt phrnc nrv stim ld | 0 | Check pair |
Data: CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule RVU file (October release, RVU26D) and Medicare NCCI PTP practitioner edits v32.3 (2026 Q4). Verify against the official files before billing or contracting decisions.