CPT code 38206: Stem cell collection, autologous, blood-derived2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $67.47 for 38206 nationally in a facility.

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 38206 covers

This service represents collection of a patient’s own blood-derived stem cells for a planned transplant. Collection commonly occurs by apheresis in a hospital or outpatient collection unit after the transplant team arranges mobilization of cells into the bloodstream. A transplant physician, hematologist, or apheresis team may be involved. This is distinct from harvesting marrow directly from bone.

Report 38206 per collection, with documentation identifying the patient’s own cells, the transplant purpose, and the collection session. CMS restricts payment to specific circumstances. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others receive the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 38206 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

38206 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

How the 38206 rate is calculated

Each of 38206’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for 38206

The CMS indicators that decide how 38206 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

38206 compared with similar codes

How to choose

38205Stem cell collectionAllogeneic, blood-derived

Use 38206 for the patient’s own blood-derived cells; use 38205 when the cells come from an allogeneic donor.

38232Bone marrow harvestAutologous transplant harvest

38232 represents harvesting autologous marrow directly. 38206 represents collecting the patient’s blood-derived cells, commonly through apheresis.

38225CAR-T cell collectionBlood-derived T lymphocytes

38225 covers collection of blood-derived T lymphocytes for CAR-T therapy. 38206 is for autologous stem-cell collection for transplantation.

38207Stem cell cryopreservationFreezing-based preservation

38207 represents cryopreservation of stem cells, a processing service; 38206 represents the collection itself.

Codes related to 38206

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates