Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Question: How should I code three colon polyps in one container with no identification as to location: CPT 88305 x3?

Surya Narayanan, MD
Guthrie Clinic Laboratories, Sayre, Pa.

Answer: Because there is no distinctive identification, you should bill 88305 (polyp, colorectal) only once. This is true unless there is something that differentiates the polyps as separate specimens, such as a surgical note referring to the largest of the three, or a suture or other marking. With such a distinction, a separate evaluation is required for each specimen, and each specimen must be mentioned in the text of the report and diagnosed separately. In that case, 88305 could be reported more than once.