CPT code 38740: Axillary dissection, superficial node removal2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Virginia

In Virginia, Medicare pays $643.37 for 38740 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 38740 nationwide

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

What 38740 covers

Code 38740 represents operative removal of superficial lymph nodes in the axilla as a regional dissection, rather than sampling one or a few targeted nodes. A breast surgeon or surgical oncologist commonly performs it in a hospital operating room during treatment of breast cancer or another malignancy involving the axillary basin. The operative report should identify the side and describe the nodal tissue and extent removed; sentinel-node excision alone is a different service.

Report 38740 when documentation supports superficial axillary lymphadenectomy; 38745 describes a complete axillary dissection, while 38525 is used for open excision of deep axillary nodes. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. For bilateral service, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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.

How Virginia compares for 38740

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 38740 runs from $597.03 in Arkansas to $823.02 in Alaska. Virginia pays $643.37. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

38740 rates by state

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

See 38740 in every payment locality

How the 38740 rate is calculated

Each of 38740’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 38740

38740 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

Codes related to 38740

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

How 38740 has changed in Virginia

Price 38740 for an earlier date of service

Where the Virginia rate applies

Virginia is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 628 cities and communities in Virginia. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Abbs Valley
• Abingdon
• Accomac
• Adwolf
• Afton
• Alberta
• Aldie
• Allison Gap

Browse all communities in Virginia

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