88187 Flowcytometry/read 2-8
What 88187 is
CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Flowcytometry/read 2-8.
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 88187 (CY2026)
| Work RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 0.72 | 0.30 | 0.03 | 1.05 | $35.07 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 0.72 | 0.30 | 0.03 | 1.05 | $35.07 |
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.
Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)
Medicare caps 88187 at 2 units 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: Clinical: Data. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.
Billed with 88187? These codes are bundled into it
88187 is a Column 1 code in 16 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 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
86355 | B cells total count | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
86356 | Mononuclear cell antigen | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
86357 | Nk cells total count | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
86359 | T cells total count | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
86360 | T cell absolute count/ratio | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
86361 | T cell absolute count | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
86367 | Stem cells total count | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
88108 | Cytopath concentrate tech | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
88112 | Cytopath cell enhance tech | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
88160 | Cytopath smear other source | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
88161 | Cytopath smear other source | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
88162 | Cytopath smear other source | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
88342 | Imhchem/imcytchm 1st antb | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
88344 | Imhchem/imcytchm ea mlt antb | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
88387 | Macroscopic xm dsj&prep tiss | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
96523 | Irrig drug delivery device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
88187 is bundled into these codes
88187 appears as a Column 2 code in 43 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 88187 is the code that denies.
| Column 1 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
0018M | 1 | Check pair | |
0021U | 1 | Check pair | |
0058U | 1 | Check pair | |
0059U | 1 | Check pair | |
0062U | 1 | Check pair | |
0091U | 1 | Check pair | |
0092U | 1 | Check pair | |
0312U | 1 | Check pair | |
0406U | 1 | Check pair | |
0431U | 1 | Check pair | |
0433U | 1 | Check pair | |
0446U | 1 | Check pair | |
0447U | 1 | Check pair | |
0495U | 1 | Check pair | |
38207 | Cryopreserve stem cells | 1 | Check 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.