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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 RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)0.720.300.031.05$35.07
Facility (hospital, ASC)0.720.300.031.05$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.

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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 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
86355B cells total count1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
86356Mononuclear cell antigen1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
86357Nk cells total count1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
86359T cells total count1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
86360T cell absolute count/ratio1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
86361T cell absolute count1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
86367Stem cells total count1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
88108Cytopath concentrate tech1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
88112Cytopath cell enhance tech1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
88160Cytopath smear other source1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
88161Cytopath smear other source1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
88162Cytopath smear other source1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
88342Imhchem/imcytchm 1st antb1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
88344Imhchem/imcytchm ea mlt antb1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
88387Macroscopic xm dsj&prep tiss1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
96523Irrig drug delivery device0 - no modifier bypassCheck 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 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
0018M1Check pair
0021U1Check pair
0058U1Check pair
0059U1Check pair
0062U1Check pair
0091U1Check pair
0092U1Check pair
0312U1Check pair
0406U1Check pair
0431U1Check pair
0433U1Check pair
0446U1Check pair
0447U1Check pair
0495U1Check pair
38207Cryopreserve stem cells1Check 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.