Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Question: Our pathologist received an ovary with an attached fallopian tube. Although the pathologist did not find any abnormality in the ovary, she diagnosed serous carcinoma of the fallopian tube. What is the specimen, and how should we code the pathologist's exam?

Georgia Subscriber

Answer: You should code the case as 88307 (Level V -- Surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination, ovary with or without tube, neoplastic).

Although CPT lists three specimens for fallopian tube, 88302 (Level II -- Surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination, fallopian tube, sterilization) and 88305 (Level IV-- Surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination, fallopian tube, biopsy or ectopic pregnancy), none of them describes the specimen your pathologist examined. Your specimen is the bundled ovary and tube, which CPT describes as "ovary, with or without tube."

You have two code choices for the bundled ovary and tube: 88305 (- ovary with or without tube, non-neoplastic) or 88307. Because the pathologist found cancer in the specimen, you should select 88307 to describe the service. The cancer's location within the bundled ovary/fallopian tube specimen is not material to your code selection.