Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Drug screen reconsideration tops commentators' concerns. If your lab runs a single-result test for HIV-1 antigens and HIV-1/HIV-2 antibodies, you'll have a new code to report the service in 2012. That's one of just two new CPT® 2012 codes that debuted at the annual CMS laboratory public meeting for pricing new test codes for payment on the clinical laboratory fee schedule (CLFS). Bigger news: With five codes on CMS's "reconsideration request" list, this year's meeting featured much discussion about drug test coding despite no new code on the horizon. Match Newer Methods to New Codes Expect the following two new clinical lab test codes in CPT® 2012 (final numbering to be determined): 863XX -- Nuclear Matrix Protein 22 (NMP22), qualitative 873XX -- HIV-1 antigen(s), with HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies, single result Both codes provide more specific reporting for newer tests you may have recently added to your menu. For instance: Code 873XX [...]