83655 Medicaid reimbursement rate by state (2026)
Clinical lab tests. Medicaid pays a median of $11.55 for 83655 across 50 states, from $4.19 in Rhode Island to $22.00 in District of Columbia.
- States publishing
- 50
- National median
- $11.55units vary by state
- Lowest
- $4.19Rhode Island
- Highest
- $22.00District of Columbia
What does Medicaid pay for 83655?
50 state Medicaid programs publish a fee-for-service rate for 83655. The national median is $11.55 (units differ between states). District of Columbia pays the most, $22.00, and Rhode Island the least, $4.19, a 5.3x spread.
83655 rate by state: highest, middle and lowest
One like-for-like fee-for-service rate per state, ranked. The workspace lists all 50 states with every variant, modifier and effective date.
How to read this table
- Order. States are listed from the highest published rate to the lowest. No single unit is shared by 8 or more states for 83655, so the order is by published amount and is not a like-for-like rank.
- Medicaid rate. The most the state's fee-for-service program pays for one unit, as published. 30 of the 50 states list more than one rate for 83655, by modifier, provider type or setting; the table shows the one that matches the provider level and setting used across states, without add-ons.
- Unit. Of the 50 states, 2 publish 83655 per unit, and 48 schedules print no unit at all (a flat amount per service).
- Per hour. 83655 is not billed in time units in these states, so no hourly figure is shown.
- Managed-care plans. The rule the state sets for its plans on this rate. What each rule means is explained below.
- % of Medicare. No Medicare physician fee schedule amount is on file for 83655, so there is no percentage.
- Source and date. Each Source link opens the state's own document; “since” is the date the rate took effect.
Why 83655 rates differ between states
Published rates for 83655 run from $4.19 in Rhode Island to $22.00 in District of Columbia, a 5.3x gap in the same unit. Half the states pay more than the median of $11.55 and half pay less. The usual reasons for a spread like this in lab & pathology rates:
- Pathology services with an interpretation have professional and technical components that states price separately.
- Fees for newer molecular and genetic tests are often set case by case, so fewer states publish them and the published amounts spread widely.
- Some states bundle certain tests into panels or into facility payments, so the separately billable amount differs.
Timing matters too. 12 states set the current rate for 83655 in 2026 or later, while 20 states still pay a rate that took effect in 2022 or earlier. A state that has not updated its rate in years will drift down the ranking as others raise theirs.
What managed-care plans pay for 83655
Most Medicaid members are in managed-care plans, and plans don't publish their provider fee schedules. For 83655, the public signal is the rule each state sets for its plans, recorded on each rate above.
In 9 states, the published rate binds plans: a floor, a pass-through or a state-set rate. In 25 states, plans negotiate and the published rate is a benchmark or out-of-network default. The rule for the remaining 16 states is not classified yet.
- Plans negotiate; the published rate applies out of network (25 states). In-network rates can be above or below the published rate. The published rate is the benchmark both sides know, and the fallback if no contract is signed.
- Plans must pay at least the published rate (9 states). The published rate is your floor. Negotiate up from it, and if a plan pays less, the contract provision is the basis for a payment dispute.
Plan-negotiated rates are never estimated here. To see the rule and its citation for a particular state, open that state's managed-care page, for example District of Columbia managed care.
Units and billing for 83655
83655 is a CPT pathology and laboratory code in the lab & pathology line, billed mostly by independent laboratories, hospital labs and pathology groups. Laboratory codes are paid per test; a panel is paid as one code, not as the sum of its tests. Pathology codes with an interpretation can be split into professional and technical components.
Pathology interpretation can be billed with modifier 26 when the laboratory and the pathologist bill separately. Laboratory tests are billed per test, and a panel is paid as a single code rather than as the sum of its component tests.
Before billing, confirm the rate, unit and any modifier with the state's current schedule or the plan: the amounts here are as published, not a guarantee of payment.
Frequently asked questions
What does Medicaid pay for 83655?
It depends on the state. Of the 50 states with a published fee-for-service rate, the median is $11.55. District of Columbia pays the most ($22.00) and Rhode Island the least ($4.19).
Which state pays the highest Medicaid rate for 83655?
District of Columbia, at $22.00, effective 2003-10-01.
Which state pays the lowest Medicaid rate for 83655?
Rhode Island, at $4.19, effective 2005-01-01.
What unit is 83655 billed in?
Of the 50 states, 2 publish 83655 per unit, and 48 schedules print no unit at all (a flat amount per service).
Do managed-care plans pay the same rate for 83655?
Not necessarily. In 9 states, the published rate binds plans: a floor, a pass-through or a state-set rate. In 25 states, plans negotiate and the published rate is a benchmark or out-of-network default. The rule for the remaining 16 states is not classified yet. Each rule is cited to the plan contract, statute or notice in the workspace.