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MAZE Procedures for Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter 7.01.27
Effective date
Jun 18, 2026
Identified
Jun 20, 2026
Summary
Under this Excellus BlueCross BlueShield policy, Maze procedures performed on a non-beating heart during cardiopulmonary bypass are considered medically appropriate for medically refractory, chronic, symptomatic atrial fibrillation or flutter, with or without concurrent cardiac surgery. Minimally invasive, off-pump Maze procedures, including hybrid or convergent ablation, are considered investigational for atrial fibrillation or flutter. The 06/18/26 annual review left the policy intent unchanged.
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What to do
Action · 7 steps
01Current effective date June 18, 2026: Billing team: for the Maze procedure performed on a non-beating heart during cardiopulmonary bypass, support the claim with documentation of medically refractory, chronic, symptomatic atrial fibrillation or flutter, with or without concurrent cardiac surgery (Policy Statement I).
02The code list includes CPT 33256 and CPT 33259 for extensive Maze procedures with cardiopulmonary bypass.
03Minimally invasive, off-pump Maze procedures (e.g., mini thoracotomy), including hybrid or convergent ablation, are considered investigational (Policy Statement II), and the code list marks CPT 33255, 33258, 33265 and 33266 as (E/I).
04Codes may not be covered under all circumstances, and the code list may not be all inclusive.
05This policy does not address percutaneous transcatheter ablation procedures for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia.
06Services are contract dependent: if a product does not cover a service, medical policy criteria do not apply.
07The Maze procedure is not addressed in National or Regional Medicare coverage determinations.
Codes mentioned
3325433255332563325733258332593326533266I48.0I48.92
Original notice
MAZE Procedures for Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter 7.01.27
excellusbcbs.com · Always check the source before changing claims.