$91.18–$98.43
Use 88329 for a gross-only intraoperative consultation. Use 88331 when the pathologist performs microscopic frozen-section examination.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
88329 Pathology consult Medicare reimbursement rates in Georgia
Reports a pathologist’s gross-only consultation during surgery when the surgeon needs an immediate assessment of a specimen without microscopic examination. Compare 88329 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Georgia.
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 88329 in Georgia?
Georgia has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$49.22–$52.90
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$27.77–$28.47
2 of 2 localities have a 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.
Pathology consultation
About 88329: Intraoperative gross pathology consultation
Reports a pathologist’s gross-only consultation during surgery when the surgeon needs an immediate assessment of a specimen without microscopic examination.
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.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.65 · 42%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.87 · 56%
- Malpractice RVU0.04 · 3%
18K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1189 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.
88329 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Georgia, from the same CMS release.
$83.18–$89.27
88333 covers an intraoperative consultation with cytologic examination; 88329 is based on gross examination alone.
$90.16–$95.10
88321 is for consultation on prepared slides referred from elsewhere, not an immediate gross assessment during surgery.
$147.88–$155.24
88325 describes a comprehensive consultation involving review of records and other materials; 88329 is limited to gross-only intraoperative consultation.
Compare 88329 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Atlanta →
Office / nonfacility
$52.90
Facility
$28.47
Rest Of Georgia →
Office / nonfacility
$49.22
Facility
$27.77
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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 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.
11,23288323,26,Consltj&reprt matrl prep sld,A,,1.78,0.70,,0.70,,0.01,2.49,2.49,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,23388323,TC,Consltj&reprt matrl prep sld,A,,0.00,0.88,,0.88,NA,0.01,0.89,0.89,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,23488325,,Consltj compre rvw rec reprt,A,,2.78,1.70,,0.48,,0.11,4.59,3.37,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,23588329,,Path consltj drg surg,A,,0.65,0.87,,0.15,,0.04,1.56,0.84,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,23688331,,Path consltj surg 1 blk 1spc,A,,1.16,1.72,,1.72,NA,0.03,2.91,2.91,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,23788331,26,Path consltj surg 1 blk 1spc,A,,1.16,0.55,,0.55,,0.02,1.73,1.73,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,23888331,TC,Path consltj surg 1 blk 1spc,A,,0.00,1.17,,1.17,NA,0.01,1.18,1.18,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00