HCPCS P3001: Pap smearMedicare rate & RVUs in Texas
P3001 reports a physician’s interpretation of a cervical or vaginal Pap smear submitted for cancer screening, rather than specimen collection alone.
Medicare pays $22.64–$24.92 for P3001 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 P3001 covers
P3001 represents physician interpretation of cervical or vaginal cytology collected for screening. It is typically performed by a pathologist or cytopathologist working in a laboratory after a clinician collects the specimen during a preventive visit. The service concerns review and interpretation of the screening smear, not obtaining the specimen or transporting it to the laboratory. The resulting interpretation supports screening for cervical or vaginal cellular abnormalities.
Report P3001 when the physician interpretation is provided for a screening Pap specimen. The record should support the screening purpose, identify the cervical or vaginal specimen, and include the physician’s cytology interpretation. Keep the interpretation distinct from collection and conveyance, represented by Q0091, and from technician screening under physician supervision, represented by P3000. CMS assigns work, practice-expense, and malpractice relative value units to this physician service. The CMS facts supplied list no special payment rule for P3001.
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 P3001 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
$22.64 to $24.92
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $24.92 | $24.92 |
| Beaumont | $22.64 | $22.64 |
| Brazoria | $23.90 | $23.90 |
| Dallas | $24.01 | $24.01 |
| Fort Worth | $23.87 | $23.87 |
| Galveston | $23.95 | $23.95 |
| Houston | $24.13 | $24.13 |
| Rest Of Texas | $23.23 | $23.23 |
How the P3001 rate is calculated
Each of P3001’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 · P3001
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.25
0.25 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.46
0.46 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.01
0.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.7200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$24.05
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for P3001
P3001 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 · P3001
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
$24.05
- Non-facility (office)
- $24.05
- Facility
- $24.05
Higher because the practice carries its own overhead.
P3001 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- P3000Screen pap by tech w md supv
- Choose P3001 when a physician interprets the screening smear. P3000 describes technician screening under physician supervision.
- Q0091Pap collection
- Q0091 covers obtaining, preparing, and conveying a screening Pap specimen; P3001 covers physician interpretation of the smear.
- G0124Pap interpretation
- G0124 applies to screening cytopathology using preservative-fluid collection and automated thin-layer preparation, requiring physician interpretation.
P3001 billing questions
When should P3001 be used instead of P3000?
P3001 is for physician interpretation of a screening Pap smear. P3000 represents technician screening under physician supervision.
Does P3001 include collecting the Pap specimen?
No. P3001 describes physician interpretation; Q0091 represents obtaining, preparing, and conveying a screening Pap specimen.
Can P3001 be reported with Q0091?
They describe different services: Q0091 covers specimen collection and conveyance, while P3001 covers physician interpretation. The record should support each service reported.
What documentation supports P3001?
Document the screening purpose, cervical or vaginal specimen, and the physician’s cytology interpretation.
How does P3001 differ from G0124?
P3001 identifies physician interpretation of a screening Pap smear. G0124 is for screening cytopathology using preservative-fluid collection and automated thin-layer preparation, with physician interpretation.
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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