Billing code 38228: CAR T-cell administrationMedicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Report this service for administering a patient’s own genetically modified T cells as CAR T-cell therapy, rather than for collecting or preparing the cells.
Medicare pays $316.15–$342.41 for 38228 in the office in Oregon, from Rest Of Oregon to Portland. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 38228 covers
This code identifies the administration step of autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. A patient’s T lymphocytes are collected and modified for treatment, then the resulting cell product is administered back to that patient. Hematologists, oncologists, and other clinicians involved in cellular therapy typically oversee the infusion in a hospital or specialized treatment setting. The code is specific to CAR T-cell administration, not conventional chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation.
Select the code for the actual administration of the autologous CAR T-cell product. Collection and preparation activities occur at different stages and are represented by separate codes in the CAR T sequence when applicable. Documentation should identify the autologous CAR T product and record that it was administered, including the date and supporting infusion documentation. CMS assigns physician work, practice expense, and malpractice relative values to the service; no additional payment rule is listed in the supplied CMS facts.
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.
Where 38228 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | $342.41 | $154.65 |
| Rest Of Oregon | $316.15 | $147.81 |
How the 38228 rate is calculated
Each of 38228’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 38228
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work3.00
3.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.35
6.35 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.20
0.20 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
9.5500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$318.98
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 38228
38228 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.
Place of service · 38228
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
$318.98
- Non-facility (office)
- $318.98
- Facility
- $149.97
Higher because the practice carries its own overhead.
38228 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 38227Car-t receipt&prepj admn
- Use 38227 for receipt and preparation of the CAR T-cell product; use 38228 for administering it to the patient.
- 38226Car-t prep t lymphcyt f/trns
- 38226 concerns preparing blood-derived T lymphocytes for transport. 38228 concerns administering the completed autologous CAR T-cell product.
- 38241Transplt autol hct/donor
- 38241 describes autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation. 38228 is specific to administration of autologous CAR T cells.
38228 billing questions
How is 38228 different from 38227?
38228 identifies administration of the autologous CAR T-cell product. 38227 describes receipt and preparation of the product for administration, a distinct step.
Does 38228 cover cell collection or preparation?
No. It represents administration, not collection of the patient’s T cells or preparation of cells for transport or infusion.
What documentation supports reporting 38228?
Document that the product was autologous CAR T cells and that administration occurred. The infusion record should support the date and service performed.
Is 38228 reported for CAR T-cell collection?
No. Collection is a separate service; 38228 is selected for the later administration of the CAR T-cell product.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
Fee sheets
Put 38228 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →