Wiki ?? specimen procured for flow cytometry??

[buppkl]

I was given a case where the pathologist received 4 lymph node specimens. He states for Specimen A that "fresh and unfixed specimen procured and submitted in its entirety for flow cytometry analysis". Same statement for Specimen D except instead of the entire specimen, a portion was done. He billed these as intraoperative consults -88329. I don't think this would fall under that cpt code. What do others think? Specimen B & C were processed as 88305. Any one have any ideas?
The report reads as such: Frozen Section Diagnosis:
IOC-A L4 Lymph node : tissue procured for flow cytometric studies.
IOC-D L4 Lymph node : tissue procured for flow cytometric studies.

 

[bbooks]

88329 can only be charged if there is documentation that the pathologist did some sort of macroscopic evaluation of the specimen, and that his/her impression is also documented in the report. If the specimen was handed off to flow without the pathologist rendering an evaluation of the specimen, then 88329 cannot be charged.

If a frozen section was done one each of these specimens that got sent to flow, then there needs to be documentation of the diagnosis rendered from the frozen section. If that was the case, then 88331 is charged rather than 88329.

88329 is a gross-only evaluation, but an evaluation of the specimen must be reported by the pathologist if it is to be charged.