Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Question: How should I report the following flow cytometry panel: three tubes containing kappa/CD19, lambda/CD19, and CD10/CD19?

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Answer: The marker is the unit of service for flow-cytometry panels. In this example, you have three tubes with two markers per tube. That equals six markers, right? Wrong.

The right way: You should only code for unique markers in a flow-cytometry panel. That means you should count each different marker only once, regardless of how many times the panel combines it with different markers.

Following that rule, you should count four unique markers for this panel: CD10, CD19, kappa and lambda.

Do this: For the first marker, report 88184 (Flow cytometry, cell surface, cytoplasmic, or nuclear marker, technical component only; first marker). For the three additional markers, list three units of +88185 (... each additional marker [list separately in addition to code for first marker]).

Opportunity: Don't forget to capture the pathologist's interpretation of the panel using 88187 (Flow cytometry, interpretation; 2 to 8 markers).

Reader Questions and You Be the Coder were prepared with the assistance of R.M. Stainton Jr., MD, president of Doctors- Anatomic Pathology Services in Jonesboro, Ark.