88307 Tissue exam by pathologist
What 88307 is
CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Tissue exam by pathologist.
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 88307 (CY2026)
| Work RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 1.55 | 6.70 | 0.07 | 8.32 | $277.90 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 1.55 | 6.70 | 0.07 | 8.32 | $277.90 |
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 88307 at 8 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 88307? These codes are bundled into it
88307 is a Column 1 code in 6 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
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 |
88387 | Macroscopic xm dsj&prep tiss | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
89060 | Exam synovial fluid crystals | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
96523 | Irrig drug delivery device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
88307 is bundled into these codes
88307 appears as a Column 2 code in 8 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 88307 is the code that denies.
| Column 1 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
17311 | Mohs 1 stage h/n/hf/g | 1 | Check pair |
17312 | Mohs addl stage | 1 | Check pair |
17313 | Mohs 1 stage t/a/l | 1 | Check pair |
17315 | Mohs surg addl block | 1 | Check pair |
55706 | Bx prst8 ndl sat sampling | 1 | Check pair |
88321 | Consltj&reprt sld prep elswr | 1 | Check pair |
88323 | Consltj&reprt matrl prep sld | 1 | Check pair |
88325 | Consltj compre rvw rec reprt | 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.