CPT code 88331: Frozen section, first block, one specimen2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in New York, New York
CPT 88331: $109.57–$111.39 office across 3 localities in New York, NY in 2026 Medicare. Compare each area.
Medicare pays $109.57–$111.39 for 88331 in the office in New York, New York, from Manhattan, NY to NYC suburbs and Long Island, NY. 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.
On this page 6 sections
Where 88331 pays more and less in New York, New York
New York, New York maps to 3 Medicare payment localities in our Census-to-CMS crosswalk. A city name alone doesn’t confirm an address’s payment area.
3 payment localities
$109.57 to $111.39
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Manhattan, NY | $109.57 | Unavailable |
| NYC suburbs and Long Island, NY | $111.39 | Unavailable |
| Queens, NY | $110.58 | Unavailable |
How payment areas work in New York
City limits and Medicare payment areas are different maps. These are the payment areas that cover the city’s counties; the service ZIP decides which one applies.
- NYC suburbs / Long Island · Bronx County, Kings County, Richmond County
- Manhattan · New York County
- Queens · Queens County
City boundaries: 2026 Census geography · Census source · CMS county-to-locality definitions
How the 88331 rate is calculated
Each of 88331’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 · 88331
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.16
1.16 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.72
1.72 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.03
0.03 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
2.9100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$97.20
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 88331
The CMS indicators that decide how 88331 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 88331
Frozen section, first block, one specimen
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 1 | Diagnostic test with separate professional (26) and technical (TC) components. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 26 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
88331 without 26 · national office
$97.20
Frozen section, first block, one specimen
88331-26 · Professional component
$57.78
Pays only the interpretation and report.
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
Fee sheets · Coming soon
Put 88331 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
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