CPT code 88329: Pathology consult, gross examination only2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Reports a pathologist’s gross-only consultation during surgery when the surgeon needs an immediate assessment of a specimen without microscopic examination.
Medicare pays $48.06–$50.71 for 88329 in the office in Missouri, from Rest of Missouri to Metropolitan St. Louis, MO. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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What 88329 covers
During an operation, a pathologist examines a specimen by gross inspection and gives the surgeon an immediate assessment. The consultation may help address an intraoperative question about the tissue or specimen, such as whether the submitted material appears to contain the area of interest. The service is performed by a pathologist in connection with surgery; it is distinct from examination of prepared slides or frozen sections.
Report 88329 when the intraoperative consultation is based on gross examination only. Do not use it to represent microscopic frozen-section work. Documentation should identify the specimen and site, the question prompting consultation, the gross findings, and what was communicated to the surgeon. CMS assigns work, practice-expense, and malpractice relative values to the service; its practice-expense valuation differs between office and facility settings.
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 88329 pays more and less in Missouri
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
3 payment localities
$48.06 to $50.71
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Kansas City, MO | $50.30 | $27.72 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | $50.71 | $27.82 |
| Rest of Missouri | $48.06 | $27.33 |
How the 88329 rate is calculated
Each of 88329’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 · 88329
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.65
0.65 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.87
0.87 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.04
0.04 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
1.5600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$52.11
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 88329
88329 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.
Place of service · 88329
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
$52.11
- Non-facility (office)
- $52.11
- Facility
- $28.06
Higher because the practice carries its own overhead.
88329 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 88331Frozen sectionFirst block, one specimen
- Use 88329 for a gross-only intraoperative consultation. Use 88331 when the pathologist performs microscopic frozen-section examination.
- 88333Surgical cytologyInitial specimen
- 88333 covers an intraoperative consultation with cytologic examination; 88329 is based on gross examination alone.
- 88321Slide consultationOutside-prepared slides
- 88321 is for consultation on prepared slides referred from elsewhere, not an immediate gross assessment during surgery.
- 88325Pathology consultationComprehensive record review
- 88325 describes a comprehensive consultation involving review of records and other materials; 88329 is limited to gross-only intraoperative consultation.
88329 billing questions
How does 88329 differ from 88331?
88329 represents an intraoperative consultation based on gross examination only. Use 88331 for intraoperative consultation involving microscopic evaluation of frozen-section tissue.
Does 88329 include a frozen section?
No. The service described by 88329 is gross-only; frozen-section microscopy is represented by the appropriate intraoperative consultation code, such as 88331.
What should the pathology report document?
Record the specimen and site, the reason for the surgeon’s request, the gross findings, and the communication of the assessment during surgery.
Can 88329 represent the later permanent-section examination?
No. It represents the intraoperative gross consultation. The later examination of processed tissue is a separate surgical pathology service when performed.
When is 88333 a closer match?
88333 represents an intraoperative consultation involving cytologic examination. Choose 88329 when the consultation is based on gross inspection alone.
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
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