CPT code 81279: JAK2 sequencing, selected gene regions2026 Medicare lab fee · Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule
Targeted JAK2 sequence analysis assesses selected gene regions and supports evaluation of suspected myeloproliferative disorders.
Medicare pays $185.20 for 81279 under the 2026 Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule: one national amount, the same in every state and setting.
Medicare lab fee · CLFS 2026 Q4
National CLFS amount
$185.20
In effect since Jan 1, 2026. The same amount in every state, payment locality and setting.
- Geographic adjustment
- None
- Office vs facility
- Same
- Since 2021
- Unchanged
- CMS updates
- Quarterly
Medicare pays the lesser of the lab’s charge and this amount. Patients usually owe no Part B deductible or coinsurance for covered clinical lab tests.
On this page 8 sections
What 81279 covers
Code 81279 identifies targeted sequence analysis of JAK2 to assess selected gene regions for sequence variants. The testing can support evaluation of a suspected myeloproliferative disorder; examples of regions assessed include exons 12 and 13. Molecular laboratories perform the analysis, typically at the request of clinicians evaluating suspected myeloproliferative disease.
Report 81279 for targeted JAK2 sequence analysis, rather than single-variant testing under 81270 or a multigene panel. Medicare pays the test under the CLFS at one national amount in every locality, without geographic or office-versus-facility adjustment. The 2026 national CLFS amount is $185.20, unchanged from 2021 through 2026. The test is paid only under the CLFS.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule data. Amounts on this page come directly from CMS files.
How Medicare pays 81279
Clinical lab tests aren’t priced like physician services. They’re paid from their own fee schedule, with its own rules. See the whole lab fee schedule.
One national amount
CMS sets a single Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule amount for 81279. There’s no geographic (GPCI) adjustment, so it pays the same in every state and payment locality.
No office or facility rate
Lab tests aren’t built from relative value units, so there’s no office and facility split: the place of service doesn’t change the CLFS amount.
Updated every quarter
CMS republishes the CLFS each quarter. New tests, often proprietary laboratory analyses (PLA codes), join during the year; existing amounts are updated each January.
Excluded from the physician fee schedule
The physician fee schedule lists 81279 with status X (excluded by statute), so the test itself is paid only from the CLFS.
81279 on the lab fee schedule since 2021
81279 · CLFS 2026 Q4 (current)
$185.20
Unchanged since Jan 1, 2021
24 quarterly CLFS releases on file, first CLFS 2021 Q1. A code missing from a quarter wasn’t on that release.
81279 compared with similar tests
- 81270JAK2 testV617F variant$91.66
- Use 81270 for JAK2 V617F variant analysis. Use 81279 for targeted sequence analysis of selected JAK2 regions, such as exons 12 and 13.
- 81450Hematolymphoid panel5–50 genes, DNA or combined$759.53
- Code 81450 may apply to a qualifying hematologic neoplasm panel containing 5–50 genes. Code 81279 describes targeted analysis of JAK2, not a multigene panel.
- 81455Tumor genomic panel51+ genes, DNA or DNA/RNA$2,919.60
- Code 81455 may apply to a qualifying hematologic neoplasm panel containing 51 or more genes. Code 81279 describes targeted JAK2 sequencing rather than that broader panel.
81279 billing questions
How does 81279 differ from 81270?
Code 81279 describes targeted JAK2 sequence analysis of selected regions, such as exons 12 and 13. Code 81270 is used for analysis of the JAK2 V617F variant.
When may a clinician order this test?
It may be ordered as part of the evaluation of a suspected myeloproliferative disorder.
Which JAK2 regions can this analysis assess?
Examples include exons 12 and 13. Report the code for the targeted sequence analysis performed.
Is 81279 reported for a multigene panel?
No. Code 81279 describes targeted JAK2 analysis; qualifying hematologic neoplasm panels may instead be reported with 81450 or 81455, depending on the gene count.
How does Medicare pay for 81279?
Medicare pays it under the CLFS at one national amount, without a locality or office-versus-facility adjustment. The test is paid only under the CLFS.
Where this amount comes from
FeeBase reads lab amounts directly from the CMS Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule file for the quarter: one row per code, with its payment indicator and national amount. Contractor-priced tests are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare payment limits, not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS CLFS 2026 Q4 · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file line behind this amount
Fee sheets · Coming soon
Put 81279 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
Join the waitlist