$51.30
Use 88172 for an immediate adequacy assessment during the procedure. Use 88173 for the diagnostic interpretation and report of the aspirate.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
88173 FNA cytology Medicare reimbursement rates in Nebraska
Reports the pathologist’s diagnostic interpretation of cells obtained by fine needle aspiration, such as an aspirate from a thyroid nodule or lymph node. Compare 88173 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Nebraska.
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 88173 in Nebraska?
Nebraska 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
$156.42
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Nebraska
One mapped payment locality.
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.
Cytopathology
About 88173: Fine needle aspirate cytology interpretation
Reports the pathologist’s diagnostic interpretation of cells obtained by fine needle aspiration, such as an aspirate from a thyroid nodule or lymph node.
A pathologist or cytopathologist examines cells collected by fine needle aspiration and issues a diagnostic interpretation and report. Common specimens come from thyroid nodules, lymph nodes, breast masses, salivary glands, and other palpable or image-guided targets. The procedure clinician obtains the aspirate; this service concerns the cytologic evaluation, not the needle placement itself or an immediate check that the sample is adequate.
Report 88173 for the diagnostic interpretation and report of the FNA material. Documentation should identify the specimen and site and support the pathologist’s review and conclusions. When the service is split, modifier 26 identifies the professional interpretation and report, while TC identifies the technical work, including equipment and staff. Billing without either modifier represents the global service, combining the professional and technical components.
CMS billing rules for 88173
- 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 RVU1.36 · 27%
- Practice expense (office) RVU3.58 · 72%
- Malpractice RVU0.05 · 1%
359.8K
Medicare services in 2024 · #277 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.
88173 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Nebraska, from the same CMS release.
$27.69
88177 describes an additional immediate adequacy evaluation episode at the same site; it is not the final diagnostic interpretation represented by 88173.
$75.94
88160 is for cytologic evaluation of smears from sources other than an FNA. Use 88173 when the material being interpreted was obtained by fine needle aspiration.
Compare 88173 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
Nebraska →
Office / nonfacility
$156.42
Facility
Unavailable
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
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 88173 in Nebraska.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
11,151
- Code
- 88173
- Physician work
- 1.36
- Practice expense
- 3.58
- Malpractice
- 0.05
GPCI2026.csv
72
- Locality
- Nebraska
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.923
- Malpractice
- 0.378
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 1.36 | × 1.000 | 1.3600 |
| Practice expense | 3.58 | × 0.923 | 3.3043 |
| Malpractice | 0.05 | × 0.378 | 0.0189 |
| Total RVUs | 4.6832 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Nebraska$156.42
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.36 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 3.58 | 0.923 |
| Malpractice | 0.05 | 0.378 |
(1.36 × 1 + 3.58 × 0.923 + 0.05 × 0.378) × $33.4009 = $156.42
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.
88173 billing questions
How is 88173 different from 88172?
88173 is the diagnostic interpretation and report of the aspirate. 88172 describes an immediate assessment during the procedure to determine whether the specimen is adequate.
Can 88172 and 88173 be reported for the same FNA?
They may both be reported when an immediate adequacy assessment is performed during the procedure and the aspirate also receives a diagnostic interpretation and report.
When should modifier 26 or TC be used?
Use modifier 26 for the professional interpretation and report, or TC for the technical component. Without either modifier, 88173 represents the global service.
Does 88173 describe the FNA procedure itself?
No. It describes cytologic evaluation of the aspirated material; it does not describe obtaining the sample with a needle.
What documentation supports reporting 88173?
The record should identify the FNA specimen and site and include the pathologist’s diagnostic interpretation and report.
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.
11,14888172,,Cytp dx eval fna 1st ea site,A,,0.67,0.93,,0.93,NA,0.02,1.62,1.62,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,14988172,26,Cytp dx eval fna 1st ea site,A,,0.67,0.31,,0.31,,0.01,0.99,0.99,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,15088172,TC,Cytp dx eval fna 1st ea site,A,,0.00,0.62,,0.62,NA,0.01,0.63,0.63,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,15188173,,Cytopath eval fna report,A,,1.36,3.58,,3.58,NA,0.05,4.99,4.99,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,15288173,26,Cytopath eval fna report,A,,1.36,0.58,,0.58,,0.02,1.96,1.96,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,15388173,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
6905302,MO,01,METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.952,1.002
7005302,MO,99,REST OF MISSOURI,1.000,0.862,0.974
7103202,MT,01,MONTANA**,1.000,1.000,0.998
7205402,NE,00,NEBRASKA,1.000,0.923,0.378
7301312,NV,00,NEVADA**,1.000,1.001,0.833
7414312,NH,40,NEW HAMPSHIRE,1.000,1.041,0.875
7512402,NJ,01,NORTHERN NJ,1.063,1.160,1.068