FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

CPT code 85060: Blood smear, physician interpretation2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports a physician’s interpretation of a peripheral blood smear, often after abnormal blood counts or findings raise questions about blood-cell morphology.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities146.1K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $19.04 for 85060 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 85060

Blood smear, physician interpretation

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
0.44
Total RVUs
0.57
Global days
XXX

National rate · 2026

$19.04

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 85060 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 85060 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 85060 covers

A physician examines a peripheral blood film under a microscope and documents an interpretation of the blood-cell findings. Review may assess red-cell, white-cell, and platelet morphology when evaluating findings such as anemia, abnormal cell counts, or suspected blood disorders. Hematologists and pathologists commonly provide this interpretation in hospital laboratories and other clinical settings where a blood smear has been prepared for review.

Report 85060 for the physician’s interpretive service, supported by a written report describing the findings and clinical significance. The code represents physician interpretation; it is not a code for an automated blood count or simply for preparing a smear. The CMS fee schedule identifies it as a physician interpretation code, so payment is for that interpretive service rather than a separately identified technical component.

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 85060 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

85060 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$18.29
AlaskaUnavailable$26.33
ArizonaUnavailable$18.83
ArkansasUnavailable$18.20
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$19.28
Austin, TXUnavailable$19.20
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$19.41
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$19.70
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$18.66
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$18.98

85060 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
85060 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 85060 rate is calculated

Each of 85060’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.

How the rate is built · 85060

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work0.44

0.44 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense0.11

0.11 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.02

0.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

0.5700

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$19.04

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 85060

The CMS indicators that decide how 85060 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 85060

Blood smear, physician interpretation

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global periodXXXThe global surgery concept doesn’t apply.
Multiple procedures0No multiple-procedure reduction.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical8Physician interpretation.

85060 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 85060

    Blood smear, physician interpretation0.44 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 85007

    Manual differential, microscopic white cell countLab fee

    $3.80

  • 85008

    Blood smear, without manual differentialLab fee

    $3.43

  • 85097

    Marrow interpretation, aspirate or biopsy review0.92 wRVU

    $67.80

How to choose

85007Manual differentialMicroscopic white cell count
85007 represents a peripheral smear service with a manual white-cell differential. Use 85060 for the physician’s interpretive report, rather than for the count alone.
85008Blood smearWithout manual differential
85008 is the peripheral smear service without a white-cell differential. 85060 represents the physician’s interpretation of smear findings.
85097Marrow interpretationAspirate or biopsy review
85097 is for interpretation of bone marrow findings. 85060 concerns a peripheral blood smear, not a marrow specimen.

Codes related to 85060

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

Codes related to 85060
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Often billed with
85025Complete CBC, automated differentialAn automated CBC with differential may prompt a separate physician smear interpretation.$7.77
85027Complete CBC, without automated differentialA CBC without differential may be part of the same workup that leads to smear review.$6.47
85007Manual differential, microscopic white cell countA manual white-cell differential and a physician’s documented smear interpretation are distinct services.$3.80

85060 billing questions

When should 85060 be reported instead of a manual differential?

Report 85060 for a physician’s documented interpretation of peripheral smear findings. A manual white-cell differential is a different service and should be selected when that count, rather than a physician interpretation, is performed.

Can 85060 be reported with a CBC?

A CBC may lead to a separate physician review of a peripheral smear. The record should support an actual interpretive service and report, not only the CBC result or analyzer output.

What documentation supports 85060?

Document the physician’s review and interpretation of the peripheral smear, including pertinent blood-cell findings and their significance. The written interpretation should be distinguishable from routine laboratory results.

Does 85060 include a technical component?

CMS identifies 85060 as a physician interpretation code. It represents the physician’s interpretive service, not a separately identified technical component.

Who typically performs the interpretation?

A physician, commonly a pathologist or hematologist, interprets the peripheral blood film and documents the findings.

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

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 85060PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 10,494 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 85060 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 85060 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.

Build my fee sheet