{
    "code": "88304",
    "coding_system": "CPT",
    "canonical_url": "https://localishealth.com/cpt/88304/2018/A",
    "release_specific_url": "https://localishealth.com/cpt/88304/2018/C",
    "description": "A pathologist's examination of a tissue specimen, first by eye and then under the microscope after it is processed onto slides. Surgical pathology is graded into levels by how much work the specimen demands, and this is one of the lower rungs: routine tissue removed for a benign or already-known reason, where the exam mostly confirms the expected. Typical material includes a gallbladder taken out for stones, tonsils, an appendix removed for ordinary inflammation, or a small skin cyst.",
    "answer": {
        "question": "How much did Medicare pay for CPT 88304 in Q3 2018?",
        "text": "Medicare paid $41.76 for CPT 88304 in the office (non-facility) setting and $41.76 in a facility under the Q3 2018 Physician Fee Schedule, effective July 2018. These are the national allowed amounts before the ~2% sequestration cut and before locality (GPCI) adjustment. This price has been unchanged since Q1 2018, when it increased 0.3%."
    },
    "release": {
        "schedule": "pfs",
        "year": 2018,
        "quarter": "C",
        "label": "Q3 2018",
        "effective": "July 1 – September 30, 2018",
        "revision": 1
    },
    "status": {
        "code": "A",
        "non_facility_payable": true,
        "facility_payable": true
    },
    "national_rates_usd": {
        "office_non_facility": 41.76,
        "facility": 41.76,
        "sequestration_applied": false,
        "gpci": 1
    },
    "rvus": {
        "work": 0.22,
        "practice_expense_non_facility": 0.92,
        "practice_expense_facility": 0.92,
        "malpractice": 0.02
    },
    "formula": "(work_rvu × work_gpci + pe_rvu × pe_gpci + mp_rvu × mp_gpci) × conversion_factor",
    "conversion_factor": 35.9996,
    "source": {
        "label": "Physician relative value file (Q3 2018)",
        "cms_url": "https://www.cms.gov/medicare/medicare-fee-for-service-payment/physicianfeesched/downloads/rvu18c1.zip",
        "local_source_url": "https://localishealth.com/sources/physician-fee-schedule/2018/C",
        "file": "PPRRVU18_JUL.csv",
        "row": 14843,
        "sha256": "514e3c115f8e62a35eb5f78fef7ed12ed7b60b22a5fe3f3f1bb5aadf119663c5"
    },
    "modified_at": "2026-08-04T03:08:27+00:00"
}