I disagree but would like to hear how you base your opinion. This is the second time I have heard this in the last few months. There is nothing I have ever seen that states that 80101 should not be billed with the sample is later confirmed by a reference lab.
I work with several pain clinics that perform drug screens. Pt's who are selected to be screened are given a qualitative urine drug screen which is run through a table top analyzer (80101-QW x # of classes). The qualitative gives a fairly accurate immediate result. If the result is unusual or it is a new patient, the sample is sent to a reference lab for confirmation.
More importantly....your reference lab shouldn't be billing for a qualitative test! This is a common scam with reference labs. Make sure you standing orders do NOT include a qualitative test.
Your thoughts?
Brock Berta, CPC