Billing code 88342: Antibody stainMedicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Report 88342 for the first single-antibody immunohistochemical or immunocytochemical stain on each specimen when a pathologist interprets stained tissue or cells.
Medicare pays $102.36–$115.23 for 88342 in the office in Texas, from Beaumont to Austin. 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 88342 covers
Code 88342 covers the first single-antibody immunohistochemical or immunocytochemical stain on a tissue or cytology specimen, such as a cell block. A histology laboratory prepares the stained material, and a pathologist interprets the result to characterize a tumor, identify metastatic carcinoma in a lymph node, or investigate an infectious organism. These services may be performed in hospital, independent, or office-based laboratories.
Report one unit per separately identifiable specimen receiving a single-antibody stain, not per slide or tissue block. Use 88341 for additional single-antibody stains on that specimen and 88344 for a multiplex antibody stain procedure. Controls are included rather than counted as additional units. Documentation should identify the specimen, antibodies, and findings. CMS recognizes a technical component (modifier TC) for stain preparation, reagents, staff, and equipment, and a professional component (modifier 26) for interpretation. An entity performing both reports the global service without a modifier. A pathologist interpreting staining performed by a hospital laboratory generally reports 88342 with modifier 26.
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 88342 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 payment localities
$102.36 to $115.23
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $115.23 | Unavailable |
| Beaumont | $102.36 | Unavailable |
| Brazoria | $109.48 | Unavailable |
| Dallas | $109.99 | Unavailable |
| Fort Worth | $109.13 | Unavailable |
| Galveston | $109.68 | Unavailable |
| Houston | $110.05 | Unavailable |
| Rest Of Texas | $105.73 | Unavailable |
How the 88342 rate is calculated
Each of 88342’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 · 88342
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.68Practice expense 2.60Malpractice 0.02
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 88342
The CMS indicators that decide how 88342 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 88342
Antibody stain
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 1 | Diagnostic test with separate professional (26) and technical (TC) components. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 26 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
88342 without 26 · national office
$110.22
Antibody stain
88342-26 · Professional component
$32.73
Pays only the interpretation and report.
88342 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
88342 vs 88341 vs 88344 vs 88360 vs 88346: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 88341Immunostain
- 88342 is the first single-antibody stain on a specimen; 88341 is the add-on for each further single-antibody stain on that specimen and cannot be reported alone.
- 88344Immunostain
- 88344 covers a multiplex antibody stain procedure; 88342 covers the first single-antibody stain on a specimen. A cocktail alone does not establish that a multiplex procedure was performed.
- 88360Tumor IHC scoring
- Use 88360 when tumor immunostaining is quantitatively or semiquantitatively analyzed by a manual method, such as ER or HER2 scoring; 88342 covers single-antibody staining without that analysis.
- 88346Immunofluorescence
- 88346 covers the first single-antibody immunofluorescence stain, which is used in settings such as renal or blistering skin disease evaluation; 88342 covers a nonfluorescent immunohistochemical or immunocytochemical stain.
88342 billing questions
How many units of this code can be reported when several antibodies are run on one specimen?
Report one unit of 88342 for the first single-antibody stain on that specimen. Report each additional single-antibody stain on the same specimen with add-on code 88341.
If two separate specimens each receive single-antibody stains, can this code be reported twice?
Yes. Report 88342 once for each separately identifiable specimen receiving a single-antibody stain, with 88341 for additional single-antibody stains on each specimen.
Are control slides billed separately?
No. Positive and negative controls run with the stain are included and are not counted as additional units.
When should 88360 or 88361 be used instead?
Use 88360 for manual or 88361 for computer-assisted quantitative or semiquantitative tumor immunostaining, such as ER, PR, or HER2 scoring. Do not also report 88342 for the same antibody on the same specimen.
Which modifier does a pathologist use when the hospital lab performs the staining?
The pathologist reports modifier 26 for the interpretation; the hospital performs the technical work. An entity performing both components reports the global code without a modifier.
Does a stain with two antibodies on one slide count here?
Use 88344 when the service is a multiplex antibody stain procedure. Combining antibodies in a cocktail does not, by itself, establish that a multiplex procedure was performed.
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 88342 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 →