CPT code 88380: Tissue microdissection, laser capture method2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $117.57 for 88380 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $105.76–$156.02.

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

What 88380 covers

A laboratory uses a laser under microscopic visualization to separate selected cells or tissue from a section, such as a tumor focus mixed with surrounding benign tissue. The enriched material can then be used for molecular testing. This service is typically performed by pathology laboratory personnel as part of a surgical pathology or molecular diagnostic workflow; the interpreting pathologist may provide the professional component.

Report the service for each tissue section subjected to laser capture microdissection. Documentation should identify the specimen and section, the tissue or cell population selected, and the laser-capture work performed. This code represents specimen preparation, not the downstream molecular assay or its interpretation. CMS recognizes professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies the professional interpretation, modifier TC identifies the technical service, and an unmodified claim represents the global service.

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 88380 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

88380 rates by state

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

How the 88380 rate is calculated

Each of 88380’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 88380

The CMS indicators that decide how 88380 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

88380 compared with similar codes

How to choose

88381MicrodissectionManual tissue preparation

Choose 88380 when a laser captures selected tissue from a section; 88381 describes manual microdissection.

88387Tissue preparationFirst specimen

88387 covers macroscopic examination, dissection, and preparation of tissue for molecular studies. 88380 is the laser-based isolation of selected cells or tissue.

88363Tissue preparationArchived tissue, each case

88363 concerns retrieval of archived tissue for molecular analysis; 88380 reports laser capture microdissection of tissue from a section.

Codes related to 88380

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

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