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Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

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81000-81015: 3 Tips Drive Proper UA Code Selection

Published on Mon Jun 04, 2012

Avoid QW for PPMP labs.Urinalysis (UA) might be one of your lab's most frequently-ordered tests, but that doesn't mean it's one of your most straight-forward coding situations. With multiple CPT® codes for urine constituents, follow our experts' guidelines to increase you UA coding accuracy so you can correctly capture the pay you deserve. Tip 1: Distinguish Codes by ConstituentsCPT® provides the following codes for most urinalysis tests (other than pregnancy tests and a few uncommon UA procedures):81000 -- Urinalysis, by dip stick or tablet reagent for bilirubin, glucose, hemoglobin, ketones, leukocytes, nitrite, pH, protein, specific gravity, urobilinogen, any number of these constituents; non-automated, with microscopy 81001 -- ... automated, with microscopy 81002 -- ... non-automated, without microscopy 81003 -- ...automated, without microscopy81005 -- Urinalysis; qualitative or semiquantitative, except immunoassays81007 -- ... bacteriuria screen, except by culture or dipstick81015 -- ... microscopic only. 10 constituents: Codes 81000-81003 apply to testing "any number" of the listed constituents, so whether [...]
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