Question:

Do we report 86003 only once for allergy testing services as a comprehensive code?

Answer:

Because the descriptor specifies “each allergen,” the provider of this service would report code 86003 for each allergen tested. Thus, if the patient was tested for three grass allergens, you would report code 86003 three times. In contrast, review the description of code 86021 which does not include the word “each” but instead is plural for “antibodies” and therefore is billable with a unit of one regardless of the number of antibodies analyzed.

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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