Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Question: If a physician orders every test of the renal panel except albumin, should I bill 80069?

Washington Subscriber

Answer: No, you should bill each test individually. You should bill 80069 (Renal function panel), or any organ or disease-oriented panel code, only if you perform each listed test for that code.

‘Not clinical parameters’: CPT instruction states that the panels were developed for coding purposes only, not as an indicator of what physicians “should” order. The physician decides which tests are medically necessary, and you should code what the physician orders and the lab performs.

In your example, if you performed all the tests listed under 80069 except albumin (82040), you should code the service as follows:

·         82310 — Calcium; total

·         82374 — Carbon dioxide (bicarbonate 

·         82435 — Chloride; blood

·         82565 — Creatinine; blood

·         82947 — Glucose; quantitative, blood (except reagent strip)

·         84100 — Phosphorus inorganic (phosphate)

·         84132 — Potassium; serum, plasma or whole blood

·         84295 - Sodium; serum, plasma or whole blood

·         84520 - Urea nitrogen; quantitative.