Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Question: What date of service should our physician office lab use for an FOBT card sent home with a patient for three specimens — the date of the office appointment when the patient receives the card (Jan. 3, 2013), or the date the patient completes and returns the card (Jan. 6, 2013)?

Answer: The correct date of service is Jan. 6, 2013 in your example.

Most payers follow Medicare guidance for reporting date of service. Generally, that means reporting the date of specimen collection as the date of service. For multiple-day collections, such as a fecal occult blood test (FOBT, 82274, Blood, occult, by fecal hemoglobin determination by immunoassay, qualitative, feces, 1-3 simultaneous determinations), you should use the last date of specimen collection.

Warning: When the physician issues FOBT cards, patients don’t always comply and complete the test. You risk having to repay Medicare or other payers for an FOBT test if the physician bills 82274 when he issues the card and the patient doesn’t return the specimens.