Pulmonology Coding Alert

Question: If our pulmonologist provided interpretation for blood gases that was performed in the laboratory, can this interpretation be reported separately or should it only be reported by the laboratory that is performing the test?Georgia SubscriberAnswer: Usually, interpretations for blood gases will be provided by the laboratory facility that processes the specimen. In such a scenario, the laboratory will be reporting the procedure using the appropriate code i.e. 82800 (Gases, blood, pH only), 82803 (Gases, blood, any combination of pH, pCO2, pO2, CO2, HCO3 [including calculated O2 saturation]), 82805 (Gases, blood, any combination of pH, pCO2, pO2, CO2, HCO3 [including calculated O2 saturation]; with O2 saturation, by direct measurement, except pulse oximetry) or 82810 (Gases, blood, O2 saturation only, by direct measurement, except pulse oximetry).These codes are not subject to professional/technical components, and should only be billed by the entity that processes and analyzes the specimen. You should not report [...]