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Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Decalcification per Specimen

Published on Sun Sep 01, 2002

Question: What is the correct way to bill decalcifi-cations performed on multiple blocks from a bone specimen? Iowa Subscriber Answer: Report a decalcification service as +88311 (Decalcification procedure [list separately in addition to code for surgical pathology examination]). This code is listed with a + symbol in the CPT manual because it is an add-on code. It should be reported in addition to the surgical pathology code for the specimen, such as 88307 (Level V Surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination, bone fragment[s], pathologic fracture). The unit of service for all surgical pathology procedures is the specimen, whether the service is the pathology examination, a special stain, or a decalcification. Because your specimen is the bone, not the individual blocks, report only one unit of 88311 for the decalcification service you described.  
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