Pediatric Coding Alert

Answer: Many pediatric coders want to use 86588, which is denied because it was deleted in 2000. Instead, use CPT 87081 (culture, presumptive, pathogenic organisms, screening only), 87430 (infectious agent antigen detection by enzyme immunoassay technique, qualitative or semiquantitative, multiple step method; Streptococcus, group A) or 87880 (infectious agent detection by immunoassay with direct optical observation; Streptococcus, group A).
 
Choose the code based on the method used, not on the specimen collection site. If you use the rapid strep test, use 87880; do not code 83516 (immunoassay for analyte other than infectious agent antibody or infectious agent antigen, qualitative or semiquantitative, multiple step method) or 83518 (... single step method [e.g., reagent strip]). For culture plates, use 87081.