Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert
Code Bone Marrow Biopsies by Provider
Question: Our oncologist performs bone marrow biopsies, prepares a brief report after looking at the sample, then sends the sample out to pathology. In this situation, do we report 85097 for our services? Indiana Subscriber Answer: You should not report 85097 (Bone marrow, smear interpretation) for your oncologist’s services in this situation. First, this code is used for the testing of a bone marrow aspirate specimen, not a bone marrow biopsy specimen. Additionally, if the official interpretation is being provided by the lab, the lab would bill for the evaluation of the specimen. The CPT® code you should report for the bone marrow biopsy is 38221 (Diagnostic bone marrow; biopsy(ies)). The lab will report the 88305 (Level IV - Surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination, bone marrow, biopsy) for the biopsy evaluation.
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Code Bone Marrow Biopsies by Provider
Question: Our oncologist performs bone marrow biopsies, prepares a brief report after looking at the [...]
