$53.08–$56.40
88172 represents the first immediate adequacy evaluation at a site; 88177 represents each additional evaluation episode at that same site.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
88177 FNA adequacy Medicare reimbursement rates in Florida
Reports an additional immediate adequacy evaluation of fine-needle aspirate material from the same site during a diagnostic sampling encounter. Compare 88177 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Florida.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 88177 in Florida?
Florida has 3 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 3 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$28.57–$30.19
3 of 3 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
No supported rate
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Where 88177 pays more and less in Florida
3 payment localities
$28.57 to $30.19
Cytopathology
About 88177: Additional FNA adequacy evaluation
Reports an additional immediate adequacy evaluation of fine-needle aspirate material from the same site during a diagnostic sampling encounter.
A cytopathology team uses this service when additional material from a fine-needle aspiration (FNA) needs another immediate adequacy check at the same site. For example, during thyroid nodule or lymph node sampling, a pathologist or cytotechnologist may assess prepared material while the clinician is still collecting specimens. The evaluation helps determine whether the sample is sufficient for diagnostic work; it is not the final interpretation and report of the aspirate.
Report 88177 only as an add-on with the first evaluation code, 88172, for an additional evaluation episode at that same site. Documentation should identify the site, distinguish the additional episode from the first, and record the adequacy finding. The code is paid within the primary procedure’s global period. It has professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies interpretation, modifier TC identifies the technical service, and no modifier represents the global service.
CMS billing rules for 88177
- Global period
- Add-on code: billed only together with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure's global period.
- Professional and technical components
- Diagnostic test with a professional component (modifier 26, interpretation) and a technical component (modifier TC, equipment and staff); billing without a modifier is the global service.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.41 · 47%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.45 · 52%
- Malpractice RVU0.01 · 1%
56.3K
Medicare services in 2024 · #739 by national volume
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.
88177 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Florida, from the same CMS release.
$162.25–$174.13
88173 is the diagnostic interpretation and report of the FNA material, rather than an additional immediate adequacy check during sampling.
$100.46–$110.60
10021 describes FNA sampling without imaging guidance. 88177 describes an additional cytopathology adequacy evaluation of material obtained from the sampling.
Compare 88177 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
3 of 3 payment localities
Fort Lauderdale →
Office / nonfacility
$29.52
Facility
Unavailable
Miami →
Office / nonfacility
$30.19
Facility
Unavailable
Rest Of Florida →
Office / nonfacility
$28.57
Facility
Unavailable
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88177 billing questions
When should 88177 be reported instead of 88172?
Use 88172 for the first immediate adequacy evaluation at a site. Report 88177 for each additional evaluation episode at that same site.
Does each needle pass count as a unit?
The code represents an additional evaluation episode, not automatically each needle pass. Document the additional adequacy evaluation rather than relying on the number of passes alone.
Can 88177 be reported without 88172?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with the primary evaluation code, 88172.
How does 88177 differ from 88173?
88177 covers an additional immediate check of specimen adequacy during FNA sampling. 88173 represents the diagnostic interpretation and report.
Which modifier identifies the pathologist's interpretation?
Modifier 26 identifies the professional component. Modifier TC identifies the technical component; reporting without either modifier represents the global service.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
11,15388173,TC,Cytopath eval fna report,A,,0.00,3.00,,3.00,NA,0.03,3.03,3.03,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,15488174,,Cytopath c/v auto in fluid,X,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,15588175,,Cytopath c/v auto fluid redo,X,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,15688177,,Cytp fna eval ea addl,A,,0.41,0.45,,0.45,NA,0.01,0.87,0.87,1,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,15788177,26,Cytp fna eval ea addl,A,,0.41,0.19,,0.19,,0.01,0.61,0.61,1,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,15888177,TC,Cytp fna eval ea addl,A,,0.00,0.26,,0.26,NA,0.00,0.26,0.26,1,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,15988182,,Cell marker study,A,,0.75,3.65,,3.65,NA,0.06,4.46,4.46,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00