cpt code for urine culture, urine culture cpt code

CPT Codes For Urine Culture (2023) | Descriptions & Billing Guidelines

Below are the CPT codes for urine culture and how to use them.

What Is A Urine Culture?

A bacterial urine culture is a laboratory procedure performed on a urine specimen to establish the probable etiology of a presumed urinary tract infection. It is common practice to do a urinalysis before a urine culture.

A urine culture may also be used as part of the evaluation and management of another related condition. The procedure includes aerobic agar-based isolation of bacteria or other cultivable organisms and quantifying types present based on morphologic criteria.

Isolates deemed significant may be subjected to additional identification and susceptibility procedures as requested by the ordering physician. The physician’s request may be through clearly documented and communicated laboratory protocols.

Indications – Urine Culture And Sensitivity CPT Code

A patient’s urinalysis is abnormal, suggesting urinary tract infection, for example, abnormal microscopic (hematuria, pyuria, bacteriuria); abnormal biochemical urinalysis (positive leukocyte esterase, nitrite, protein, blood); a Gram’s stain positive for microorganisms; positive bacteriuria screen by a non-culture technique; or other significant abnormality of a urinalysis.

While it is not essential to evaluate a urine specimen by one of these methods before a urine culture is performed, specific clinical presentations with highly suggestive signs and symptoms may lend themselves to an antecedent urinalysis procedure where a follow-up culture depends upon an initial positive or abnormal test result.

A patient has clinical signs and symptoms indicative of a possible urinary tract infection (UTI). Acute lower UTI may present with urgency, frequency, nocturia, dysuria, discharge, or incontinence.

These findings may also be noted in upper UTI with additional systemic symptoms (for example, fever, chills, lethargy); or pain in the costovertebral, abdominal, or pelvic areas.  Signs and symptoms may overlap considerably with other inflammatory conditions of the genitourinary tract (for example, prostatitis, urethritis, vaginitis, or cervicitis).

Elderly or immunocompromised patients or patients with neurologic disorders may present atypically (for example, general debility, acute mental status changes, declining functional status).

The patient is being evaluated for suspected urosepsis, fever of unknown origin, or other systemic manifestations of infection but without a known source. Signs and symptoms used to define sepsis have been well established.

A test-of-cure is generally not indicated in an uncomplicated infection. However, it may be indicated if the patient is being evaluated for response to therapy and there is a complicating co-existing urinary abnormality including structural or functional abnormalities, calculi, foreign bodies, or ureteral/renal stents or there is clinical or laboratory evidence of failure to respond as described in Indications 1 and 2.

In surgical procedures involving significant manipulations of the genitourinary tract, preoperative examination to detect occult infection may be indicated in selected cases (for example, before renal transplantation, manipulation or removal of kidney stones, or transurethral surgery of the bladder or prostate).

A urine culture may be indicated to detect occult infection in renal transplant recipients on immunosuppressive therapy.

Limitations Of CPT Codes For Urine Culture

CPT Code 87086 may be used one time per encounter.

Colony counts restrictions on coverage of CPT Code 87088 do not apply as they may be highly variable according to syndrome or other clinical circumstances (for example, antecedent therapy, collection time, and degree of hydration).

CPT Code 87088, CPT Code 87184, and CPT Code 87186 may be used multiple times in association with or independent of CPT Code 87086, as urinary tract infections may be polymicrobial.

Testing for asymptomatic bacteriuria as part of a prenatal evaluation may be medically appropriate but is considered screening and, therefore, not covered by Medicare. The US Preventive Services Task Force has concluded that screening for asymptomatic bacteriuria outside the narrow indication for pregnant women is generally not indicated.

There are insufficient data to recommend screening in ambulatory elderly patients, including those with diabetes. Testing may be clinically indicated on other grounds, including the likelihood of recurrence or potential adverse effects of antibiotics, but is considered screening in the absence of clinical or laboratory evidence of infection.

Proper Usage Of CPT Codes For Urine Culture

Usage Of CPT Code 87086

Use CPT Code 87086 where culture where a urine culture colony count is performed to determine the approximate number of bacteria present per milliliter of urine. The number of specimens determines the number of units of service.

Usage Of CPT Code 87088

Use CPT Code 87088, where a commercial kit uses manufacturer-defined media for isolation, presumptive identification, and quantitation of morphotypes present. The number of specimens determines the number of units of service.

Use CPT Code 87088, where identification of morphotypes recovered by quantitative culture or commercial kits and deemed to represent significant bacteriuria requires the use of additional testing, for example, biochemical test procedures on colonies. Identification based solely on visual observation of the primary media is usually inadequate to justify using this code. The number of isolates determines the number of units of service.

Usage Of CPT Codes 87184 or 87186

Use CPT Code 87184 or CPT Code 87186, where susceptibility testing of isolates deemed significant is performed concurrently with identification. The number of isolates determines the number of units of service. These codes are not exclusively used for urine cultures but are appropriate for isolates from other sources.

Appropriate CPT Code Combinations For Urine Culture

Appropriate combinations are as follows:

CPT Code 87086, 1 per specimen with CPT Code 87088, 1 per isolate, and CPT Code 87184 or CPT Code 87186 where appropriate.

Culture for other specific organism groups not ordinarily recovered by media used for aerobic urine culture may require additional CPT codes (for example, anaerobes from suprapubic samples).

Identification of isolates by non-routine,  nonbiochemical methods may be coded appropriately (for example, immunologic identification of streptococci, nucleic acid techniques for identification of N. gonorrhoeae).

Note: While infrequently used, sensitivity studies by methods other than CPT Code 87184 or CPT Code 87186 are appropriate. CPT Code 87181, agar dilution method, each antibiotic or CPT Code 87188, macrotube dilution method, each antibiotic may be used. The number of units of service is the number of antibiotics multiplied by the number of unique isolates.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *