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38221 Dx bone marrow biopsies

What 38221 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Dx bone marrow biopsies.

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 38221 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)1.253.640.115.00$167.00
Facility (hospital, ASC)1.250.370.111.73$57.78

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 38221 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 38221? These codes are bundled into it

38221 is a Column 1 code in 50 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
20220Bone biopsy trocar/ndl supfc1 - 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
38220Dx bone marrow aspirations1 - modifier may 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

Showing 30 of 50 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.

38221 is bundled into these codes

38221 appears as a Column 2 code in 67 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 38221 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
0263TIm b1 mrw cel ther cmpl0Check pair
0264TIm b1 mrw cel ther xcl hrvst0Check pair
0265TIm b1 mrw cel ther hrvst onl0Check pair
20225Bone biopsy trocar/ndl deep1Check pair
20240Bone biopsy open superficial1Check pair
20245Bone biopsy open deep1Check pair
20250Biopsy vrt bdy open thoracic1Check pair
20251Biopsy vrt bdy open lmbr/crv1Check pair
20900Removal of bone for graft1Check pair
20902Removal of bone for graft1Check pair
20937Sp bone agrft morsel add-on1Check pair
20938Sp bone agrft struct add-on1Check pair
22100Remove part of neck vertebra1Check pair
22101Remove part thorax vertebra1Check pair
22102Remove part lumbar vertebra1Check 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.