CPT code 38794: Thoracic duct access, duct cannulation2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Utah

In Utah, Medicare pays $251.29 for 38794 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 38794 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 38794 covers

This service involves locating and gaining access to the thoracic duct, then cannulating it through a percutaneous or open approach. It is typically performed by an interventional radiologist or surgeon in a facility setting. A common clinical reason is evaluation or treatment planning for a persistent chylous leak, where access to the duct is needed for lymphatic imaging or a subsequent intervention. The code represents duct access and cannulation, not removal of thoracic lymph nodes.

Report the service when the operative or procedure note supports actual thoracic duct cannulation; document the indication, approach, and successful access. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this anatomy. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of 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.

How Utah compares for 38794

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 38794 runs from $237.17 in Arkansas to $331.61 in Alaska. Utah pays $251.29. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

38794 rates by state

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

See 38794 in every payment locality

How the 38794 rate is calculated

Each of 38794’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 38794

38794 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 51

Codes related to 38794

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

How 38794 has changed in Utah

Price 38794 for an earlier date of service

Where the Utah rate applies

Utah is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 334 cities and communities in Utah. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Alpine
• Alta
• Altamont
• Alton
• Amalga
• American Fork
• Aneth
• Annabella

Browse all communities in Utah

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