Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Question: When our lab performs a high risk HPV screening that returns positive, we then perform HPV typing for genotypes 16 and 18. How should we code? Oregon Subscriber Answer: Labs commonly carry out the human papilloma virus (HPV) screen by amplified probe technique, and assuming that's the method you use, you should code the initial high-risk HPV screen as 87621 (Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA); papillomavirus, human, amplified probe technique). When the results are positive and the lab subsequently uses the same technique for HPV typing for genotypes 16 and 18, report an additional unit of 87621. Watch diagnoses: The patient's record must demonstrate medical necessity for these tests. Typically Pap screens results such as 795.01 (Papanicolaou smear of cervix with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance [ASCUS]) indicate the need for high-risk HPV screening. Similarly, you might expect a positive HPV screen, such as [...]