Summary & Overview
CPT 47133: Donor Hepatectomy for Liver Procurement
CPT code 47133 represents a donor hepatectomy: the surgical removal of a liver from a cadaver donor with cold preservation for later transplantation. This code documents the donor-side procurement procedure distinct from the recipient transplant operation. Nationally, accurate use of this code is important for organ procurement reporting, transplant program billing integrity, and coordination between donor hospitals and transplant centers. Key payers in a national context include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. This publication provides a concise overview of CPT code 47133, including clinical context, typical sites of service, common billing modifiers, and implications for facility and professional billing. Readers will find benchmarks for payer coverage where available, a summary of billing practice considerations, and a clinical description that clarifies when this code applies versus recipient transplant procedure codes. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable. The goal is to give transplant program administrators, billing professionals, and policy analysts a clear reference for the clinical and billing purpose of CPT code 47133 and where it fits within the organ procurement and transplantation service line.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 47133 describes a donor hepatectomy, the surgical resection of a liver from a cadaver donor. The provider performing this procedure removes the donor liver and places it in cold preservation for transport and storage until it is transplanted into a recipient in a separate procedure.
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Service type: Organ procurement surgery (donor hepatectomy)
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Typical site of service: Operating room in a hospital or designated transplant center
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 35-year-old male is identified as a cadaveric liver donor following declaration of brain death after traumatic head injury. After consent and organ allocation through the transplant network, the donor is managed in the hospital by critical care and transplant teams. The donor undergoes preoperative evaluation including laboratory testing, cross‑matching, and imaging to confirm organ suitability. In the operating room, a transplant surgeon performs a donor hepatectomy to surgically remove the liver, which is flushed with preservation solution and placed in cold storage for transport. The organ is then transported to a separate facility or team performing the recipient's liver transplant. Typical clinical workflow involves donor management in an intensive care unit, coordination with organ procurement organization, operative donor hepatectomy, cold preservation of the graft, and transfer to the recipient surgical team.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00 | No modifier | Default; used when no additional modifier applies to the service |
22 | Increased procedural services | When intraoperative complexity or unusual effort substantially exceeds typical donor hepatectomy |