Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

If your ob-gyn practice performs genetic testing for the BRCA 1 and 2 mutation, you'll want to note a new appendix. This appendix states, "genetic testing modifiers (e.g., BRCA 1 and 2)" are "to be reported with molecular laboratory procedures related to genetic testing."

This means that if the ob-gyn takes a blood sample and sends it to the lab for medical testing, you would use molecular diagnostic codes 83890-83912 depending on which procedure was used in the analysis. The new modifiers would be attached to the CPT code for the molecular test.

In recent years, scientists have begun to isolate genes responsible for hereditary breast cancer. In 1994 scientists finally isolated the gene, named Breast Cancer 1 (BRCA-1), in Chromosome #17, one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes found in most human cells. An altered BRCA-1 has been linked to the development of breast and ovarian cancer.

In 1995, scientists developed experimental tests for detecting several recently discovered cancer genes, including BRCA-1.

Scientists have also recently located the gene BRCA-2 on Chromosome #13. Like BRCA-1, BRCA-2 appears to be a cancer-causing gene when altered. BRCA-2 appears to account for as many cases of breast cancer as does BRCA-1. BRCA-2 apparently triggers breast cancer in males as well as in females.