Reader Questions:
Make Sure Stain is 'Special'
Published on Mon Feb 23, 2009
Question: We use a May-Grunwald-Giemsa stain on bone marrow specimens. Since the stain is not for microorganisms, should we use 88313 to report the work? Colorado Subscriber Answer: No, you should not report +88313 (Special stains [list separately in addition to code for primary service]; Group II, all other [e.g., iron, trichrome], except immunocytochemistry and immunoperoxidase stains, each) for the May-Grunwald-Giemsa stain for bone marrow. You are correct that you should use +88313 for special stains for "other" than microorganisms. CPT reserves +88312 (- Group I for microorganisms [e.g., Gridley, acid fast, methenamine silver], each) to describe special stains performed to help detect microorganisms. Here's the caveat: May-Grunwald-Giemsa is not a "special stain" for bone marrow specimens. For bone marrow smears, the Wright stain or the May-Grunwald-Giemsa stain is the default stain to enhance cytologic detail for routine morphologic specimen evaluation. Just as you should not report a special stain [...]
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