CPT code 38215: Stem-cell concentration, harvested product2026 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 38215 covers

Stem-cell concentration is processing of a harvested hematopoietic cell product to increase the concentration of stem cells in that product. It is distinct from obtaining peripheral-blood stem cells from an allogeneic or autologous donor and from other product-processing steps, such as washing or cryopreservation. The service concerns the collected product rather than the donor’s collection procedure.

Medicare assigns status I to 38215: the code is not valid for Medicare reporting, and Medicare uses a different code to report and pay for this service. Do not report 38215 as the Medicare service line. Concentration is distinct from collection, preservation, washing, thawing, depletion, and administration, which are separately described services in this CPT code series.

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 38215 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

38215 rates by state

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

How the 38215 rate is calculated

Each of 38215’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 38215

38215 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.

38215 compared with similar codes

How to choose

38205Stem cell collectionAllogeneic, blood-derived

This code describes allogeneic peripheral-blood stem-cell collection: obtaining the product, not concentrating it.

38206Stem cell collectionAutologous, blood-derived

This code describes autologous peripheral-blood stem-cell collection: obtaining the product, not concentrating it.

38207Stem cell cryopreservationFreezing-based preservation

This code describes cryopreservation of collected stem cells. Concentration and preservation are distinct processing steps.

38209Stem cell washingHarvested cell product

This code describes washing a harvested stem-cell product, a processing step distinct from concentration.

Codes related to 38215

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