Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Question: What code should we use for a culture "screening" test for Group B Streptococcus? If the test is positive and we go on to perform susceptibility testing, how should we code the additional work? Ohio SubscriberAnswer: When the lab screens a culture for Group B Streptococcus, you should code the service as 87081 (Culture, presumptive, pathogenic organisms, screening only). A culture screening is unique, because the lab is only testing the culture for the presence of one specific organism (positive: it's present, negative: it's not). In contrast, a typical culture involves isolating any organism present, then performing tests to identify it.If the lab does isolate Group B Strep and goes on to perform sensitivity testing, you have several code choices depending on the lab method used.For instance: Two common testing methods for determining bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics are the disk method or the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. If [...]