{
    "code": "88311",
    "coding_system": "CPT",
    "canonical_url": "https://localishealth.com/cpt/88311/2018/A",
    "release_specific_url": "https://localishealth.com/cpt/88311/2018/A",
    "description": "A preparation step used when a specimen contains bone or other calcified material that is too hard to slice on a microtome. The tissue is soaked in an acid or chelating solution until the mineral is dissolved and what remains can be cut into thin sections and stained. It is reported alongside the pathology examination it supports, not on its own, because it is extra laboratory work performed before the slides can be read.",
    "answer": {
        "question": "How much did Medicare pay for CPT 88311 in Q1 2018?",
        "text": "Medicare paid $22.68 for CPT 88311 in the office (non-facility) setting and $22.68 in a facility under the Q1 2018 Physician Fee Schedule, effective January 2018. These are the national allowed amounts before the ~2% sequestration cut and before locality (GPCI) adjustment. This is a 0.3% increase from the previous quarter."
    },
    "release": {
        "schedule": "pfs",
        "year": 2018,
        "quarter": "A",
        "label": "Q1 2018",
        "effective": "January 1 – March 31, 2018",
        "revision": 1
    },
    "status": {
        "code": "A",
        "non_facility_payable": true,
        "facility_payable": true
    },
    "national_rates_usd": {
        "office_non_facility": 22.68,
        "facility": 22.68,
        "sequestration_applied": false,
        "gpci": 1
    },
    "rvus": {
        "work": 0.24,
        "practice_expense_non_facility": 0.37,
        "practice_expense_facility": 0.37,
        "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 (Q1 2018)",
        "cms_url": "https://www.cms.gov/medicare/medicare-fee-for-service-payment/physicianfeesched/downloads/rvu18ar1.zip",
        "local_source_url": "https://localishealth.com/sources/physician-fee-schedule/2018/A",
        "file": "PPRRVU18_JAN.csv",
        "row": 14825,
        "sha256": "b2c0cf1c065aa6f715438573eb2251381843a90991cf56818aaf33301c43c932"
    },
    "modified_at": "2026-08-04T03:08:09+00:00"
}