Question:

When performing flow cytometry for cell enumeration, should CPT® codes 88184 or 88185 ever be reported separately, or are these inherently bundled? Additionally, if a pathologist provides a distinct interpretation of the flow cytometry results, is there any scenario where CPT codes 88187-88189 could be reported separately, or is the interpretation always included in the procedure?

Answer:

Cell enumeration procedures performed by flow cytometry will not be reported with CPT 88184 or 88185. A separate interpretation by the pathologist will not be billed with CPT 88187-88189.

This question was answered in our Coding Essentials for Laboratories. For more hot topics relating to laboratory services, please visit our store or call us at 1.800.252.1578, ext. 2.

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