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CPT code 38209: Stem cell washing, harvested cell product2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

CPT 38209 identifies washing of harvested stem cells, a product-processing service distinct from stem cell collection, thawing, cryopreservation, and depletion.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare rate · 38209

Stem cell washing, harvested cell product

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
0.23
Total RVUs
0.31
Global days
XXX

National rate · 2026

—

Not priced in the facility setting.

See every locality for 38209 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 38209 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 38209 covers

38209 identifies washing of harvested stem cells. It concerns processing the harvested cell product, rather than collecting cells from a donor or patient. The code is distinct from codes for cryopreservation, thawing, depletion of specified cell components, and concentration of a harvested stem cell product. These neighboring codes identify separate services; washing is not the same as T-cell, red blood cell, or platelet depletion.

Medicare assigns 38209 status I, meaning Medicare does not accept this code and uses a different code to report and pay for the service. Codes 38205 and 38206 identify allogeneic and autologous stem cell harvest, respectively; codes 38207 and 38208 identify cryopreservation and thawing. Codes 38210, 38212, 38213, and 38215 identify T-cell depletion, red blood cell depletion, platelet depletion, and concentration. This code identifies washing, rather than those other processing services.

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 38209 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

38209 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailableUnavailable
AlaskaUnavailableUnavailable
ArizonaUnavailableUnavailable
ArkansasUnavailableUnavailable
Atlanta, GAUnavailableUnavailable
Austin, TXUnavailableUnavailable
Bakersfield, CAUnavailableUnavailable
Baltimore area, MDUnavailableUnavailable
Beaumont, TXUnavailableUnavailable
Brazoria, TXUnavailableUnavailable

38209 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
38209 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 38209 rate is calculated

Each of 38209’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.

How the rate is built · 38209

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work0.23

0.23 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense0.05

0.05 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.03

0.03 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

0.3100

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$10.35

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 38209

38209 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.

Place of service · 38209

Which rate does Medicare pay?

The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).

POS 11 · non-facility rate · national

—

38209 isn’t priced in this setting.

38209 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 38209

    Stem cell washing, harvested cell product0.23 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 38208

    Stem cell thawing, before clinical use0.55 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 38210

    T-cell depletion, harvest processing1.53 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 38205

    Stem cell collection, allogeneic, blood-derived1.46 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

38208Stem cell thawingBefore clinical use
38208 identifies thawing preserved stem cells. 38209 identifies washing harvested stem cells.
38210T-cell depletionHarvest processing
38210 identifies T-cell depletion; 38209 identifies washing, not removal of a specified cell population.
38205Stem cell collectionAllogeneic, blood-derived
38205 identifies allogeneic stem cell harvest. 38209 identifies washing a harvested stem cell product.

Codes related to 38209

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

Codes related to 38209
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
38207Stem cell cryopreservation, freezing-based preservationIdentifies cryopreservation as a separate stem cell product-processing service.No office rate
38208Stem cell thawing, before clinical useIdentifies thawing preserved stem cells as a separate processing service.No office rate
38210T-cell depletion, harvest processingIdentifies T-cell depletion rather than washing.No office rate
38212RBC depletion, stem-cell harvestIdentifies red blood cell depletion rather than washing.No office rate
38213Platelet depletion, stem cell harvest processingIdentifies platelet depletion rather than washing.No office rate
38215Stem-cell concentration, harvested productIdentifies concentration of a harvested stem cell product.No office rate

38209 billing questions

Does 38209 describe collecting stem cells?

No. It identifies washing harvested stem cells. Codes 38205 and 38206 identify allogeneic and autologous stem cell harvest, respectively.

How does washing differ from thawing under 38208?

38209 identifies washing harvested stem cells; 38208 identifies thawing preserved stem cells. They describe different processing services.

How does 38209 differ from the depletion codes?

38209 identifies washing. Codes 38210, 38212, and 38213 identify T-cell, red blood cell, and platelet depletion, respectively.

Is 38209 valid for Medicare billing?

No. Medicare assigns status I to 38209 and uses a different code to report and pay for the service.

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

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