CPT code 38213: Platelet depletion, stem cell harvest processing2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

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

What 38213 covers

This service processes a harvested stem-cell product to reduce its platelet content. It is separate from collecting the cells and from processing directed at other components, such as T cells, tumor cells, or red blood cells, or at reducing overall product volume. Cellular therapy laboratories perform this type of product processing as part of preparation for clinical use.

For Medicare, CPT 38213 has status I and is not valid for Medicare reporting; Medicare uses a different code to report and pay for this service. The code identifies platelet depletion of the harvest, rather than the collection procedure. Related harvest-processing services include T-cell depletion, tumor-cell depletion, red-cell depletion, volume depletion, and stem-cell concentration. Select the processing code that matches the service performed.

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 38213 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

38213 rates by state

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

How the 38213 rate is calculated

Each of 38213’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 38213

38213 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.

38213 compared with similar codes

How to choose

38212RBC depletionStem-cell harvest

Use 38212 when processing targets red blood cells; 38213 targets platelets.

38214Volume depletionStem cell harvest

Use 38214 for volume reduction of the harvest; 38213 is specific to platelet reduction.

38210T-cell depletionHarvest processing

38210 identifies T-cell depletion, not platelet depletion.

38211Tumor-cell depletionStem cell harvest processing

38211 identifies tumor-cell depletion, not platelet depletion.

Codes related to 38213

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