Will CPT® 2017 Settle Drug-Screen Coding Once and For All?

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Will CPT 2017 Settle Drug-Screen Coding Once and
For All?
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AddCPT Codes That Are HCPCS Lookalikes
CPT 2017 deletes presumptive drug class
screening codes 80300-80304. A note in CPT 2017
says to look instead to new codes
80305-80307. The new codes descriptors look
almost identical to the HCPCS codes Medicare
required you to use in 2016, G0477-G0479. The
plan is to delete the HCPCS codes and use the
CPT codes for Medicare. For the Clinical Lab
Fee Schedule (CLFS), the expectation is that the
pricing for the new 2017 codes will be similar to
the pricing of their 2016 HCPCS
counterparts. Youll want to check HCPCS 2017 and
the final CLFS when theyre released to be sure
all of these proposals get finalized, of
course. Heres a rundown of the new codes. Note
that just like the HCPCS codes youve been using,
the CPT descriptors specify that
Coding for drug screening certainly keeps you
sharp. Along with all the CPT codes and rules,
youve got to remember that Medicare requires use
of a separate set of HCPCS codes in 2016. But you
may find things a little simpler in 2017

• The codes include sample validation (such as pH,
  specific gravity, and nitrite) if performed
• 142 deletionsThe codes apply once per date of
  service

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Apply 80305 for Direct Optical Observation
When the analyst visually reads the results of
the test, youll use 80305 (Drug tests,
presumptive, any number of drug classes, any
number1 of devices or procedures e.g.,
immunoassay capable of being read by direct
optical observation only e.g., dipsticks, cups,
cards, cartridges includes sample validation
when performed, per date of service Code 80305
replaces G0477.
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Select 80307 for Instrumented Chemistry Analyze
The final code in the new group is appropriate
when the analyst uses any of a large number of
methods requiring instrument chemistry analyzers.
The code is 80307 (Drug tests, presumptive, any
number of drug classes, any number of devices or
procedures, by instrument chemistry analyzers
e.g., utilizing immunoassay (e.g., EIA, ELISA,
EMIT, FPIA, IA, KIMS, RIA), chromatography
e.g., GC, HPLC, and mass spectrometry either
with or without chromatography, e.g., DART,
DESI, GC-MS, GC-MS/MS, LC-MS, LC-MS/MS, LDTD,
MALDI, TOF includes sample validation when
performed, per date of service). Code 80307 is
modeled on G0479, but the list of examples is
more extensive in 80307s descriptor. The CPT
guidelines explain that some of the methodologies
listed in the example are also in use for
definitive drug testing. The presumptive method,
however, does not definitively identify the drug.
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Heres Where Youll Find the New Codes
In your CPT manual, youll notice that the
presumptive Drug Class Screening and Definitive
Drug Testing codes continue to remain out of
numerical order in the lab section of CPT. Each
code is marked with to indicate the code is
placed in the section based on the nature of the
service rather than being in numerical
order. The codes come after Organ or
Disease-Oriented Panels code 80076 and before
Therapeutic Drug Assays code 80150.
How About You? Are you a lab coder? Do you think
these changes will finally bring some stability
to coding for drug screening? To Read the
Original Content Click here- http//bit.ly/2uuyQb
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