Reader Question:
Cord Blood
Published on Sat Dec 01, 2001
Question: Is there a code for collection of cord blood when the parents want the blood to go to various agencies that then store the cord blood for them?
North Carolina Subscriber
Answer: There is no code for this service. The cord-blood registry has apparently suggested using 38231 (blood-derived peripheral stem cell harvesting for transplantation, per collection), but this, according to the AMA coding staff, is incorrect because this procedure code describes collecting the blood, passing it through a series of filters to collect the stem cells, and then returning the blood to the donor.
Cord blood is collected in a tube supplied by the registry, labeled and sent on. The procedure is somewhere between venous blood sampling and phlebotomy, but neither procedure is accurate. The ACOG coding committee believes that this procedure should not be billed at all. If you feel you must bill for it, use 59899 (unlisted procedure, maternity care and delivery) but expect that many payers will not reimburse for it because it is an elective procedure requested by the patient.
