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CPT 38220 — Dx bone marrow aspirations

CPT code 38220 (Dx bone marrow aspirations) carries 1.17 work RVUs under the CMS 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Total RVUs are 5.02 in a non-facility setting and 1.66 in a facility setting, which at the 2026 conversion factor of $33.40 works out to $167.67 and $55.45 respectively.

1.17
Work RVU
5.02
Total RVU (non-facility)
$167.67
Medicare, non-facility
$55.45
Medicare, facility
Calculate your total wRVUs →

RVU breakdown for CPT 38220

ComponentRVUsWhat it covers
Work RVU1.17Physician time, skill, effort, and stress.
Practice expense RVU (non-facility)3.76Office overhead, staff, supplies.
Practice expense RVU (facility)0.4Overhead when performed in a hospital.
Malpractice RVU0.09Professional liability cost.
Total RVU (non-facility)5.02Work + non-facility PE + malpractice.
Total RVU (facility)1.66Work + facility PE + malpractice.

How Medicare payment is calculated

Medicare multiplies total RVUs by the annual conversion factor. For CPT 38220 in 2026:

SettingTotal RVUConversion factorNational payment
Non-facility5.02$33.40$167.67
Facility1.66$33.40$55.45

These are national amounts. Actual payment is adjusted by the Geographic Practice Cost Index for your locality — check yours with the GPCI lookup.

Billing rules for CPT 38220

Global period
Global concept does not apply to this code.
Multiple procedure reduction
Subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction (100%/50%/50%…).
Bilateral surgery
150% payment adjustment applies when performed bilaterally.
Assistant surgeon
Not permitted unless documentation supports medical necessity.
Co-surgeon
Not permitted unless documentation supports medical necessity.
Team surgery
Not permitted unless documentation supports medical necessity.

Related codes

Codes in the same CMS family, with their work RVU values.

38221 · 1.25 wRVU38222 · 1.4 wRVU

Questions about CPT 38220

How many work RVUs is CPT 38220?

CPT 38220 is assigned 1.17 work RVUs in the CMS 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

What does Medicare pay for CPT 38220?

At the 2026 national conversion factor of $33.40, CPT 38220 pays approximately $167.67 in a non-facility setting and $55.45 in a facility setting before geographic adjustment.

What is the global period for CPT 38220?

Global concept does not apply to this code.

RVU values reflect the CMS 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (conversion factor $33.40). Payment figures are national and unadjusted for geography. Verify against the official fee schedule before using for billing.