Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Question: Which CPT code describes apheresis for a leukemia patient?

Idaho Subscriber

Answer: You have six codes to choose from for therapeutic apheresis:

• 36511 -- Therapeutic apheresis; for white blood cells

• 36512 -- ... for red blood cells

• 36513 -- ... for platelets

• 36514 -- ... for plasma pheresis

• 36515 -- ... with extracorporeal immunoadsorption and plasma reinfusion

• 36516 -- ... with extracorporeal selective adsorption or selective filtration and plasma reinfusion.

You may see apheresis called pheresis or therapeutic pheresis. The physician removes selected blood constituents (plasma, leukocytes, platelets, or cells) from whole blood. The physician retransfuses the remainder into the person from whom the blood was taken, in addition to saline or another fluid to maintain blood volume. Physicians may use apheresis to treat blood-disorder complications such as leukemia, sickle-cell anemia, hemophilia, immune disorders, hyperglobulinemia, and hypercholesterolemia, as well as using it as an adjunct to stem-cell transplant treatment.