Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Serum iron tests give different diagnostic information, so not all conditions warrant the same lab studies, says Stan Werner, MT (ASCP), administrative director of Peterson Clinical Laboratory in Manhattan, Kan. To link procedure and diagnosis codes, you first must understand the uses for each test.

 82728 Ferritin
This test measures ferritin, a serum protein that stores iron. Iron deficiency is associated with lowered ferritin, whereas iron overload conditions are associated with elevated ferritin levels.

 83540 Iron
This test measures iron associated with transferrin in the blood. Coupled with the results of an iron binding capacity test, labs use the results to calculate percent saturation of transferrin molecules.

 CPT 83550 Iron binding capacity
This test measures transferrin indirectly, and therefore iron binding capacity is elevated and depressed under the same clinical conditions.

 84466 Transferrin
This test measures serum transferrin, a protein that binds and transports iron. Transferrin is elevated in iron deficiency and perhaps inflammatory conditions and trauma. It may be low in iron overload conditions and chronic diseases.