CPT new codes for TIER 2 MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY PROCEDURES

The following molecular pathology procedure (Tier 2) codes are used to report procedures not listed in the Tier 1 molecular pathology codes.

They are arranged by level of technical resources and interpretive work by the physician or other qualified health care professional. The individual analyses listed under each code (i.e., level of procedure) utilize the definitions and coding principles as described in the introduction preceding the Tier 1 molecular pathology codes. The parenthetical examples of methodologies presented near the beginning of each code provide general guidelines used to group procedures for a given level and are not all-inclusive.            

Use the appropriate molecular pathology procedure level code that includes the specific analyte listed after the code descriptor. If the analyte tested is not listed under one of the Tier 2 codes or is not represented by a Tier 1 code, use the unlisted code 81479.

AMA clearly states that if a procedure and the specific test being performed is NOT listed in any of the 1-9 levels of the Tier 2 codes, you cannot “assign” one of the codes based on a similar assigned code level of work. Assign unlisted code 81479 in this instance.
TIER 2 MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY PROCEDURES

CPT Code:81402
Code Description:Molecular pathology procedure, Level 3 (eg, >10 SNPs, 2-10 methylated variants, or 2-10 somatic variants [typically using non-sequencing target variant analysis], immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor gene rearrangements, duplication/deletion variants of 1 exon, loss of heterozygosity [LOH], uniparental disomy [UPD]) Chromosome 1p-.19q- (eg, glial tumors), deletion analysis

CPT Code:81403
Code Description:Molecular pathology procedure, Level 4 (eg, analysis of single exon by DNA sequence analysis, analysis of >10 amplicons using multiplex PCR in 2 or more independent reactions, mutation scanning or duplication/deletion variants of 2-5 exons)

Human erythrocyte antigen gene analyses (eg, SLC14A1 [Kidd blood group], BCAM [Lutheran blood group], ICAM4 [Landsteiner-wiener blood group], SLC4A1 [Diego blood group], AQP1 [Colton blood group], ERMAP [Scianna blood group], RHCE [Rh blood group, CcEe antigens], KEL [Kell blood group], DARCX [Duffy blood group], GYPA, GYPB, GYPE [MNS blood group], ART4 [Dombrock blood group]) (eg, sickle-cell disease, thalassemia, hemolytic transfusion reactions, hemolytic disease of the fetus or newborn), common variants
RHD (Rh blood group, D antigen) (eg, hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn, Rh maternalfetal compatibility), deletion analysis (eg, exons 4, 5, and 7, pseudogene)
RHD (Rh blood group, D antigen) (eg, hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn, Rh maternalfetal compatibility), deletion analysis (eg, exons 4, 5, and 7, pseudogene), performed on cell-free fetal DNA in maternal blood
(For human erythrocyte gene analysis of RHD, use a separate unit of 81403)

CPT Code:81404
Code Description:Molecular pathology procedure, Level 5 (eg, analysis of 2-5 exons by DNA sequence analysis, mutation scanning or duplication/deletion variants of 6-10 exons, or characterization of a dynamic mutation disorder/triplet repeat by Southern blot analysis)

MPV17 (MpV17 mitochondrial inner membrane protein) (eg, mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome), duplication/deletion analysis 
PIK3CA (phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit alpha) (eg,colorectal cancer), targeted sequence analysis (eg, exons 9 and 20)

Use 81426 in conjunction with 81425

Reference:http://mptrms.mckesson.com/rs/MckessonPT/images/2015CPTChangesPATH.pdf