Exclusion of Left Atrial Appendage (33267-33269) (November 2021)

November 2021 pages 3-4 Exclusion of Left Atrial Appendage (33267-33269) Effective January 1, 2022, two new stand-alone codes (33267, 33269) and one add-on code (33268) have been established in the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) 2022 code set to report surgical exclusion (eg, excision, isolation via stapling, oversewing, ligation, plication, clip) of the left atrial appendage (LAA), which is typically performed to enhance treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) and/or to mitigate postoperative thromboembolic complications. Previously, these procedures were reported with code 33999, Unlisted procedure, cardiac surgery, and/or by appending modifier 22, Increased Procedural Services, to related and existing surgical...

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Note:  The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AMA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.

Article Overview

This CPT® Assistant article covers the introduction of new CPT codes for surgical exclusion of the left atrial appendage and the accompanying reporting guidance added to the cardiovascular surgery section. It is aimed at coders, billers, and clinical documentation staff who need to understand how the update affects reporting for open, add-on, and thoracoscopic cardiac procedures. The article also places the new codes in context by referencing related cardiac procedure categories and clinical scenarios.

Why This Topic Matters

The update affects how certain cardiac surgical procedures are identified and reported under CPT, especially when left atrial appendage exclusion is performed alone or with other cardiac operations. Understanding the scope of the change helps reduce misreporting and supports accurate documentation review for heart surgery cases.

Article Sections

  1. November 2021 pages 3-4

    Introduces the CPT 2022 update and the general purpose of the article. Summarizes the scope of the left atrial appendage exclusion coding changes and the types of related guidance discussed.

  2. Electrophysiologic Operative Procedures

    Reviews the new left atrial appendage exclusion codes in the context of electrophysiologic and cardiac surgery reporting. Covers broad procedure categories, related cardiac procedure groupings, and the article’s clinical example format.

What You Will Learn

  • What CPT 2022 changed for left atrial appendage exclusion reporting
  • How the article frames stand-alone versus concurrent cardiac procedure reporting
  • Which broader cardiac surgery topics are discussed alongside the new codes
  • How the article organizes clinical examples and procedural descriptions

Who Should Read This

  • Medical coders
  • Coding auditors
  • Cardiothoracic surgery documentation staff
  • Billing professionals
  • Clinical documentation improvement staff

Codes Discussed

Modifiers Discussed


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