$91.18
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 Kansas
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 Kansas.
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 Kansas?
Kansas has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$48.65
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kansas
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$26.91
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kansas
One mapped payment locality.
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 Kansas, from the same CMS release.
$83.06
88333 covers an intraoperative consultation with cytologic examination; 88329 is based on gross examination alone.
$89.01
88321 is for consultation on prepared slides referred from elsewhere, not an immediate gross assessment during surgery.
$146.04
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.
1 of 1 payment localities
Kansas →
Office / nonfacility
$48.65
Facility
$26.91
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 88329 in Kansas.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
11,235
- Code
- 88329
- Physician work
- 0.65
- Practice expense
- 0.87
- Malpractice
- 0.04
GPCI2026.csv
54
- Locality
- Kansas
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.904
- Malpractice
- 0.504
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.65 | × 1.000 | 0.6500 |
| Practice expense | 0.87 | × 0.904 | 0.7865 |
| Malpractice | 0.04 | × 0.504 | 0.0202 |
| Total RVUs | 1.4566 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Kansas$48.65
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.65 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.87 | 0.904 |
| Malpractice | 0.04 | 0.504 |
(0.65 × 1 + 0.87 × 0.904 + 0.04 × 0.504) × $33.4009 = $48.65
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.65 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.15 | 0.904 |
| Malpractice | 0.04 | 0.504 |
(0.65 × 1 + 0.15 × 0.904 + 0.04 × 0.504) × $33.4009 = $26.91
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
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
5106102,IL,99,REST OF ILLINOIS,1.000,0.913,1.563
5208102,IN,00,INDIANA,1.000,0.927,0.486
5305102,IA,00,IOWA,1.000,0.915,0.397
5405202,KS,00,KANSAS,1.000,0.904,0.504
5515102,KY,00,KENTUCKY,1.000,0.889,0.915
5607202,LA,01,NEW ORLEANS,1.000,0.941,1.136
5707202,LA,99,REST OF LOUISIANA,1.000,0.885,0.958