Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Keep up with quarterly updates to covered tests Don't miss the latest list of approved tests if you-re coding for a waived-status lab. Make sure you only report waived tests and have your certificate of waiver if you want to get paid for your work. What Is Waived Status? When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deems a test so simple that little risk of error exists, the agency assigns the test to the waived-status list. That means a physician may perform the procedure in his office without obtaining a higher-level certificate, says Lorna Powell, CCS-P, owner of Quality Medical Management in Elk City, Okla. -You call these tests waived-status tests.-
  Watch out: You still need a lab certificate under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) to perform these simple tests. The law requires that all laboratories have a certificate and obtain a CLIA number. -You can apply for a certificate of waiver through CMS,- Powell says. Don't Forget the Modifier CMS requires labs operating with a certificate of waiver to report approved tests with modifier QW (CLIA-waived test).

New Tests Effective April 1, you can start using the following tests in CLIA-waived labs:

 - 84450-QW and 84460-QW Abaxis Piccolo Point of Care Chemistry Analyzer (Liver Panel Plus Reagent Disc) (whole blood)

 - 86308-QW PerMaxim RediScreen Mononucleosis (whole blood)

 - 82274-QW, G0328-QW Enterix Insure II Fecal Immunochemical Test, Teco Rapid Fecal Occult Blood (FOB) Care Test, OcculTech Fecal Occult Blood Rapid Test

 - 82042-QW, 82150-QW, 82247-QW, 82977-QW, 84075-QW, and 84157-QW Abaxis Piccolo Point of Care Chemistry Analyzer (Liver Panel Plus Reagent Disc) (whole blood)

 - 84520-QW Arkray SPOTCHEM EZ Chemistry Analyzer (whole blood) for urea (BUN)

 - 84450-QW Arkray SPOTCHEM EZ Chemistry Analyzer (whole blood) for aspirate amminotransferase (AST) (SGOT)

 - 85018-QW HemoCue Hb 301 System

 - 87999-QW Gryphus Diagnostics BVBlue

 - 87880-QW Inverness Medical BioStar Acceava Strep A Test

 - 80101-QW Branan Medical Corp., QuickTox Drug Screen Dipcard, Branan Medical Corporation, FasTox Multiple Drug Dipcard

 - 86308-QW LifeSign Status Mono (whole blood).
 Note: CMS change request 5482 lists the corrected code 87999-QW for Gryphus Diagnostics BVBlue. The January update erroneously listed the test with 87899-QW.