# Flow Cytometry, 88184, 88185, 88187



## DanOtt (Jan 24, 2012)

Hello,
Our post transplant tissue typing lab is now billing for flow cytometry testing on post tranplant recipients to identify antibodies on chromosome number 6.  They use Class I and Class II HLA antigens with different reagents to detect the antibodies.  We would like to bill CPT 88184 for 2 units because of the Class I and Class II HLA antigens being done.  then we would report 88185 for the various markers identified and the 88187 for teh interpretation of each of the tests.  So an example would be Class I Test, 88184 for initial marker, then 88185 for 7 additional markers and 88187  for 1 interpretation.  We then perform the same test on the same specimen on the same day only this is the Class II Test.  So for our example we woudl beill the same units of the same codes in Cass I Test.  So the bill would go out looking like the following:
88184      2 units
88185      14 units
88187      2 units

Any thoughts on billing these codes and also success in appealing to insurance companies?
Thank you,
Dan


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## amcoots01 (Jan 24, 2012)

*88184, 88185, 88187*

It would depfen on what your carrier has set as the allowable number of MUE's for these codes.
An example of the guidelines in our region is:
88184 can not be billed with more than 1 unit [per date of service]
88185 does not have a limit on the number of units billed
88187 can not be billed with more than 1 unit.


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