Billing code 85060: Blood smearMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Reports a physician’s interpretation of a peripheral blood smear, often after abnormal blood counts or findings raise questions about blood-cell morphology.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 85060 in Washington.
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 85060 covers
A physician examines a peripheral blood film under a microscope and documents an interpretation of the blood-cell findings. Review may assess red-cell, white-cell, and platelet morphology when evaluating findings such as anemia, abnormal cell counts, or suspected blood disorders. Hematologists and pathologists commonly provide this interpretation in hospital laboratories and other clinical settings where a blood smear has been prepared for review.
Report 85060 for the physician’s interpretive service, supported by a written report describing the findings and clinical significance. The code represents physician interpretation; it is not a code for an automated blood count or simply for preparing a smear. The CMS fee schedule identifies it as a physician interpretation code, so payment is for that interpretive service rather than a separately identified technical component.
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 85060 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | Unavailable | $19.26 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | Unavailable | $20.49 |
How the 85060 rate is calculated
Each of 85060’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 · 85060
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.44
0.44 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.11
0.11 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.02
0.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.5700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$19.04
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 85060
The CMS indicators that decide how 85060 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 85060
Blood smear
| 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 | 8 | Physician interpretation. |
85060 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 85007Bl smear w/diff wbc count
- 85007 represents a peripheral smear service with a manual white-cell differential. Use 85060 for the physician’s interpretive report, rather than for the count alone.
- 85008Bl smear w/o diff wbc count
- 85008 is the peripheral smear service without a white-cell differential. 85060 represents the physician’s interpretation of smear findings.
- 85097Marrow interpretation
- 85097 is for interpretation of bone marrow findings. 85060 concerns a peripheral blood smear, not a marrow specimen.
85060 billing questions
When should 85060 be reported instead of a manual differential?
Report 85060 for a physician’s documented interpretation of peripheral smear findings. A manual white-cell differential is a different service and should be selected when that count, rather than a physician interpretation, is performed.
Can 85060 be reported with a CBC?
A CBC may lead to a separate physician review of a peripheral smear. The record should support an actual interpretive service and report, not only the CBC result or analyzer output.
What documentation supports 85060?
Document the physician’s review and interpretation of the peripheral smear, including pertinent blood-cell findings and their significance. The written interpretation should be distinguishable from routine laboratory results.
Does 85060 include a technical component?
CMS identifies 85060 as a physician interpretation code. It represents the physician’s interpretive service, not a separately identified technical component.
Who typically performs the interpretation?
A physician, commonly a pathologist or hematologist, interprets the peripheral blood film and documents the findings.
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 85060 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 →