CPT code 88363: Tissue preparation2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Report this service when a pathology laboratory prepares and conveys previously diagnosed, archived tissue for molecular analysis, counted once per case.
Medicare pays $21.76–$23.24 for 88363 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 88363 covers
A pathology laboratory prepares tissue that was previously diagnosed and placed in its archive when a clinician later requests molecular testing. The work centers on locating the relevant archived material, preparing the requested tissue, and conveying it to the laboratory that will perform the molecular analysis. A pathologist or pathology laboratory staff may coordinate the preparation as part of diagnostic testing, including when the testing laboratory is separate from the archive holding the tissue.
Report one unit for each qualifying archived case, rather than counting individual slides or tissue pieces as separate cases. The record should identify the archived case, the request for molecular analysis, and the preparation and transfer of tissue. This service covers preparation and conveyance, not the molecular assay itself; code the assay separately when it is performed and separately reportable. CMS assigns this code work, practice-expense, and malpractice relative values, with practice-expense inputs that differ between office and facility settings.
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 88363 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
$21.76 to $23.24
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $23.24 | $15.47 |
| Beaumont | $21.76 | $15.08 |
| Brazoria | $22.57 | $15.29 |
| Dallas | $22.69 | $15.37 |
| Fort Worth | $22.59 | $15.35 |
| Galveston | $22.62 | $15.33 |
| Houston | $22.99 | $15.69 |
| Rest Of Texas | $22.14 | $15.16 |
How the 88363 rate is calculated
Each of 88363’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 · 88363
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.36
0.36 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.30
0.30 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.02
0.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.6800
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$22.71
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 88363
88363 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 · 88363
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
$22.71
- Non-facility (office)
- $22.71
- Facility
- $15.36
Higher because the practice carries its own overhead.
88363 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 88364ISH probe stain
- 88363 covers preparing and conveying archived tissue; 88364 reports an in situ hybridization assay.
- 88367ISH analysis
- Use 88363 for archived-tissue preparation and transfer. Use 88367 for the automated in situ hybridization assay itself.
- 88368ISH analysis
- 88363 concerns preparation and conveyance from an archive; 88368 describes manual in situ hybridization performed on tissue.
- 88380Tissue microdissection
- 88363 covers preparing and conveying archived tissue for molecular analysis. 88380 describes laser microdissection, a tissue-separation procedure.
88363 billing questions
When is 88363 appropriate instead of an in situ hybridization code?
Use 88363 for preparing and conveying previously diagnosed, archived tissue for molecular analysis. In situ hybridization codes describe the assay performed on tissue, not this archive-preparation service.
How many units should be reported?
The code is reported per case. Do not count each slide or tissue piece as a separate case.
Does 88363 include the molecular test?
No. It describes preparation and conveyance of archived tissue; the molecular assay is a separate service when performed and separately reportable.
What documentation supports reporting 88363?
Document the previously diagnosed archived case, the request for molecular analysis, and the preparation and conveyance of tissue for that analysis.
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
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