Billing Beat

Urine Culture No Longer a Family PACT Benefit for Oct. 2013

October 30, 2013

Effective for dates of service on or after November 1, 2013, CPT code 87086 (culture, bacterial; quantitative colony count, urine) is no longer a benefit of the Family PACT Program.

The following susceptibility tests, when performed as a reflex test from a positive 87086, are not reimbursable:

HCPCS Code

Description

87181

Susceptibility studies, antimicrobial agent; agar diffusion method, per agent

87184

Susceptibility studies, antimicrobial agent; disk method, per plate (12 or fewer disks)

87186

Susceptibility studies, antimicrobial agent; microdilution or agar dilution (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] or breakpoint), each multi-antimicrobial, per plate

These susceptibility tests, however, will remain reimbursable when performed as a reflex test from a positive CPT code 87081 (culture, presumptive, pathogenic organisms, screening only) for the following diagnosis codes:

S-Code

Description

S3032

Infection at insertion/removal site

S7033

Female Sterilization-Operative site infection (within 30 days postoperative)

S8032

Vasectomy-Acute infection at operative site (within 30 days postoperative)

Source: Family PACT Update October 2013 | Bulletin 73

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