Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Remember, you have to use the most specific code available to report an infectious agent antigen detection test - and the codes available just got more specific. CPT Codes 2004 added or revised five codes in this section, which you can view in the table below.
 
"The primary change revises two codes and adds two new codes to differentiate between giardia and cryptosporidium," says Elizabeth Sheppard, HT (ASCP), manager of anatomic pathology at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, N.C. Prior to the revision, coders used 87272 to report infectious agent antigen detection by immunofluorescent technique for cryptosporidium or giardia. Similarly, code 87328 represented cryptosporidium or giardia detection by enzyme immunoassay technique.
 
With CPT 2004, you should only report 87272 and 87328 for cryptosporidium, and you should use new codes 87269 (for immunofluorescent technique) and 87329 (for enzyme immunoassay technique) for giardia.
 
CPT 2004 also adds a new, specific code for Trichomonas vaginalis by nucleic acid direct probe technique (87660). "Prior to the addition of 87660, coders may have reported this test with the general methodology code 87797 (Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid [DNA or RNA], not otherwise specified; direct probe technique, each organism)," Sheppard says.