Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: What are the new CPT^® codes for coronavirus testing?

Ohio Subscriber

Answer: The CPT^® Editorial Panel approved 87635 (Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA); severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Coronavirus disease [COVID-19], amplified probe technique) as a new Category I Pathology and Laboratory code for novel coronavirus testing. This code was effective March 13, 2020.

Since 87635 is an early release code, you will need to manually upload this code descriptor into your electronic health record system. Code 87635 will be a child code under parent code 87471 Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA); Bartonella henselae and Bartonella quintana, amplified probe technique in the 2021 CPT^® code set.

Don’t miss: “Per the World Health Organization, the official name of the virus is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), while the name of the disease it causes is coronavirus disease (COVID-19),” according to a special edition of CPT^® Assistant, Vol. 30.

HCPCS: For Medicare patients, CMS has established two new HCPCS codes for coronavirus testing: Code U0001 should be used specifically for CDC testing laboratories to test patients for SARS-CoV-2 and to track new cases of the virus, according to CPT^® Assistant, Vol. 30. And code U0002 is intended for laboratories to report nonCDC laboratory tests for SARS-CoV-2/2019-nCoV (COVID-19).