$101.91–$108.37
Group I is for stains used to identify microorganisms; Group II highlights tissue constituents such as collagen, iron, or amyloid. Select the group by the stain's documented purpose.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
88313 Special stain Medicare reimbursement rates in Maine
Group II histochemical staining highlights tissue features such as fibrosis, iron, or amyloid and is reported once per stain per specimen. Compare 88313 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Maine.
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 88313 in Maine?
Maine 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
$74.78–$79.93
2 of 2 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.
Surgical pathology
About 88313: Group II special histochemical stain
Group II histochemical staining highlights tissue features such as fibrosis, iron, or amyloid and is reported once per stain per specimen.
Group II histochemical stains highlight tissue components rather than infectious organisms. Examples include trichrome for fibrosis, Prussian blue for iron, reticulin for tissue architecture, elastic stains for vessel walls, and Congo red for amyloid. Histology staff prepare and stain slides, commonly from paraffin blocks, and a pathologist interprets the findings in the pathology report. These stains may be used on liver biopsies to assess fibrosis or iron, medical kidney biopsies to examine tissue architecture, and cardiac or fat pad biopsies to investigate amyloid.
Report one unit for each distinct Group II stain on each specimen, generally with the applicable tissue examination code, such as 88305 or 88307. The report should identify the specimen, stain, and result. Stains used to identify microorganisms belong in 88312; frozen-section histochemistry and enzyme histochemistry have separate codes. CMS prices the professional interpretation with modifier 26 and the technical preparation, reagents, and staff work with modifier TC. Billing without either modifier represents the global service. Physician work accounts for about 10% of the office total.
CMS billing rules for 88313
- 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 RVU0.23 · 10%
- Practice expense (office) RVU2.17 · 90%
- Malpractice RVU0.02 · 1%
1.4M
Medicare services in 2024 · #108 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.
88313 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Maine, from the same CMS release.
$103.02–$109.19
88342 covers an antibody-based immunohistochemical stain. Chemical histochemical stains such as trichrome or iron are reported with 88313; both may be reported when separately performed for distinct diagnostic questions.
$76.16–$80.87
88314 is an add-on for histochemical staining on frozen sections and is reported with the applicable primary pathology service. Group II stains on routine tissue sections are reported with 88313.
$122.47–$130.54
Stains demonstrating enzyme activity, such as those used in muscle biopsy workups, are reported with 88319 rather than 88313.
Compare 88313 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
Rest Of Maine →
Office / nonfacility
$74.78
Facility
Unavailable
Southern Maine →
Office / nonfacility
$79.93
Facility
Unavailable
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88313 billing questions
How many units are reported when several Group II stains are performed?
Report one unit per distinct stain per specimen. A liver biopsy with trichrome and iron stains supports two units; the same stain on two separately submitted specimens also supports two units.
When is 88312 used instead of 88313?
Use 88312 for a stain performed to identify microorganisms, such as a fungal, acid-fast, or Gram stain. Use 88313 for stains demonstrating tissue constituents such as collagen, iron, glycogen, elastic fibers, or amyloid.
Does the stain's purpose matter if the same stain can serve either group?
Yes. A PAS stain used to look for fungi is reported with 88312, while PAS used to evaluate glycogen or basement membranes is reported with 88313.
Is the routine H&E slide separately reportable with 88313?
No. Routine H&E staining is included in the gross and microscopic surgical pathology examination. Report 88313 for a separately performed Group II special stain.
How are modifiers 26 and TC applied?
A pathologist who interprets a slide stained by another entity bills 88313 with modifier 26. The entity providing only slide preparation and staining bills with modifier TC; an entity providing both components bills without either modifier.
What documentation supports each unit?
The pathology report should identify each stain and specimen and describe the result or its diagnostic significance. An order without a reported interpretation does not support billing the professional component.
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.
11,21888312,,Special stains group 1,A,,0.53,2.72,,2.72,NA,0.03,3.28,3.28,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,21988312,26,Special stains group 1,A,,0.53,0.21,,0.21,,0.01,0.75,0.75,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,22088312,TC,Special stains group 1,A,,0.00,2.51,,2.51,NA,0.02,2.53,2.53,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,22188313,,Special stains group 2,A,,0.23,2.17,,2.17,NA,0.02,2.42,2.42,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,22288313,26,Special stains group 2,A,,0.23,0.10,,0.10,,0.01,0.34,0.34,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,22388313,TC,Special stains group 2,A,,0.00,2.07,,2.07,NA,0.01,2.08,2.08,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,22488314,,Histochemical stains add-on,A,,0.44,1.98,,1.98,NA,0.03,2.45,2.45,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00