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38220 Dx bone marrow aspirations

What 38220 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Dx bone marrow aspirations.

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 38220 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)1.173.760.095.02$167.67
Facility (hospital, ASC)1.170.400.091.66$55.45

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: Global concept does not apply.

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Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)

Medicare caps 38220 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 3 - date of service edit (clinical): units above the MUE may pay with documentation on appeal), rationale: Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.

Billed with 38220? These codes are bundled into it

38220 is a Column 1 code in 49 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 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
01112Anes bone marrow aspir&/bx0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
01120Anes px on bony pelvis0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
0213TNjx paravert w/us cer/thor1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0216TNjx paravert w/us lumb/sac1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0232TNjx platelet plasma1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0481TNjx autol wbc concentrate1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0708TId ca immntx prep & 1st njx1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0709TId ca immntx each addl njx1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
10005Fna bx w/us gdn 1st les1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
10007Fna bx w/fluor gdn 1st les1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
10009Fna bx w/ct gdn 1st les1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
10011Fna bx w/mr gdn 1st les1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
10021Fna bx w/o img gdn 1st les1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
20939Bone marrow aspir bone grfg1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
36000Place needle in vein1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
36410Vnpnxr 3yr/> phy/qhp dx/ther1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
36591Draw blood off venous device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36592Collect blood from picc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
61650Evasc prlng admn rx agnt 1st1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
62324Njx interlaminar crv/thrc1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
62325Njx interlaminar crv/thrc1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
62326Njx interlaminar lmbr/sac1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
62327Njx interlaminar lmbr/sac1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64415Njx aa&/strd brch plxs img1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64416Njx aa&/strd brch pl nfs img1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64417Njx aa&/strd ax nerve img1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64450Njx aa&/strd other pn/branch1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64454Njx aa&/strd gnclr nrv brnch1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64473Lwr xtr fscl pln blk uni njx1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64474Lwr xtr fscl pln blk uni nfs1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair

Showing 30 of 49 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.

38220 is bundled into these codes

38220 appears as a Column 2 code in 209 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 38220 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
0095TRmvl artific disc addl crvcl1Check pair
0098TRev artific disc addl1Check pair
0164TRemove lumb artif disc addl1Check pair
0165TRevise lumb artif disc addl1Check pair
0200TPerq sacral augmt unilat inj1Check pair
0201TPerq sacral augmt bilat inj1Check pair
0202TPost vert arthrplst 1 lumbar1Check pair
0219TPlmt post facet implt cerv1Check pair
0220TPlmt post facet implt thor1Check pair
0221TPlmt post facet implt lumb1Check pair
0222TPlmt post facet implt addl1Check pair
0263TIm b1 mrw cel ther cmpl0Check pair
0264TIm b1 mrw cel ther xcl hrvst0Check pair
0265TIm b1 mrw cel ther hrvst onl0Check pair
0274TPrq lamot/lam dcmpr crv/thrc1Check 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.