Open Chest Removal of Defibrillator Wires

Nationwide rates for HCPCS 33243

Removal of the wires that connect an implanted defibrillator to the heart, done by opening the chest rather than drawing them out through a vein. This route is chosen when the wires are scarred firmly in place and cannot be freed safely from inside the blood vessels. The battery unit itself is dealt with separately.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Open Chest Removal of Defibrillator Wires cost?

$8,745

Typical total for the visit. Nationwide, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $8,745 for this procedure. That total is two separate charges: $2,138 to the doctor who performs it, and $6,607 to the hospital or surgery center where it takes place. Done somewhere without a facility charge, you pay only the first.

24% physician fee76% facility fee

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 51 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

What's inside this number

Part of the bill	Who charges it	Typical	Range
Physician feeThe doctor who performs it	The doctor who performs it	$2,138	$1,514 to $3,020
Facility feeThe hospital or surgery center	The hospital or surgery center	$6,607	$3,090 to $11,482

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $6,607 · 10th to 90th $1,698 to $17,378Professionalmedian $2,138 · 10th to 90th $1,259 to $4,467

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier	Facility/Professional	Modifier	Typical Low	Median	Typical High
Aetna Setting Facility Modifier Global Typical Low $1,412.54 Median $4,677.35 Typical High $15,135.61	Facility	Global	$1,412.54	$4,677.35	$15,135.61
BCBS Setting Facility Modifier Global Typical Low $3,311.31 Median $9,120.11 Typical High $17,782.79	Facility	Global	$3,311.31	$9,120.11	$17,782.79
Cigna Setting Facility Modifier Global Typical Low $2,290.87 Median $12,589.25 Typical High $33,113.11	Facility	Global	$2,290.87	$12,589.25	$33,113.11
United Setting Facility Modifier Global Typical Low $2,290.87 Median $6,165.95 Typical High $15,135.61	Facility	Global	$2,290.87	$6,165.95	$15,135.61

What it costs in each state

The same service costs 3.3 times more in Colorado than in Hawaii. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Touch or drag across it to read any state, then open that state for its carriers and full range.

Physician feeFacility fee

Touch or drag across the chart to see any state's rate.

CO $14,438HI $4,332

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.