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New Drug Testing Codes for 2016

Published on 

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

After struggling with application of Medicare’s incomplete listing of drug testing codes for 2015, I was so hopeful that Medicare would accept the drug testing CPT codes for 2016. For 2015, the American Medical Association (AMA) majorly revised the CPT drug testing codes, reorganizing the drug testing codes as presumptive, definitive, or therapeutic.

  • Presumptive testing is for the possible use or non-use of a drug. Presumptive methods of testing are mainly immunoassays, enzymatic methods, and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The CPT codes for presumptive testing, 80300-80304, are defined based on testing method and whether the drugs being tested are in Drug Class List A or Drug Class List B (also defined in the CPT manual).
  • Definitive testing uses more complex testing methods, such as gas or liquid chromatography (GC/LC) with mass spectrometry (MS) and identifies individual drugs.
  • Therapeutic drug assays are performed to monitor clinical response to a known, prescribed medication.

A helpful tool in the CPT code manual is the “Definitive Drug Classes Listing” that describes some of the particular drugs and metabolites included in each drug class for definitive testing. The most significant statement in the CPT instructions relative to definitive testing is, “Each category of a drug class, including metabolite(s) if performed (except stereoisomers), is reported once per date of service.” I admit some of the technical speak in the CPT instructions is even over my head (what is a stereoisomer??) but bottom line, this sentence means that CPT codes 80320 – 80377 are to be reported once a day per drug class. MMP even confirmed this with the American Hospital Association Coding Clinic. So if you test for oxycodone and oxymorphone, you only report CPT code 80365 with one unit.

Back to my wishful thinking - you don’t always get what you want. For 2016, Medicare is not accepting the CPT codes for drug testing. CMS has deleted all of the drug testing HCPCS codes from last year (G0431, G0434, and G6030 – G6058) and created new HCPCS codes for 2016. The bad news is that there is still not a one-to-one correlation between CPT and HCPCS codes for drug testing; the good news is that this year’s HCPCS codes appear a little easier to use and understand.

There are three new presumptive testing HCPCS codes based on testing methods. Only one of the three presumptive G codes may be billed per day.

  • G0477 Drug tests(s), presumptive, any number of drug classes; any number of devices or procedures, (eg, immunoassay) capable of being read by direct optical observation only (eg, dipsticks, cups, cards, cartridges), includes sample validation when performed, per date of service.
  • G0478 Drug tests(s), presumptive, any number of drug classes; any number of devices or procedures, (eg, immunoassay) read by instrument-assisted direct optical observation (eg, dipsticks, cups, cards, cartridges), includes sample validation when performed, per date of service.
  • G0479 Drug tests(s), presumptive, any number of drug classes; any number of devices or procedures by instrumented chemistry analyzers (eg, immunoassay, enzyme assay, TOF, MALDI, LDTD, DESI, DART, GHPC, GC mass spectrometry), includes sample validation when performed, per date of service.

The most likely correlation for presumptive testing is that HCPCS codes G0477 and G0478 correlate with CPT codes 80300; HCPCS code G0479 correlates with CPT codes 80301, 80302, 80303, and 80304.

The new definitive HCPCS codes correlate with all of the CPT codes 80320 through 80377, depending on the number of definitive drug classes tested. The instructions in the 2016 Clinical Lab Fee Schedule Final Determinations state:

  • Only one of the four definitive G codes may be billed per day.
  • The unit used to determine the appropriate definitive G code to bill is “drug class.”
  • Each drug class may only be used once per day in determining the appropriate definitive G code to bill.
  • Drug classes are consistent with their usage in the AMA CPT Manual. The AMA CPT Manual may be consulted for examples of individual drugs within each class.

This means you can count the number of definitive CPT drug test codes to determine which of the HCPCS codes to bill. The new Medicare definitive codes are defined as: “Drug test(s), definitive, utilizing drug identification methods able to identify individual drugs and distinguish between structural isomers (but not necessarily stereoisomers), including, but not limited to GC/MS (any type, single or tandem) and LC/MS (any type, single or tandem and excluding immunoassays (eg, IA, EIA, ELISA, EMIT, FPIA) and enzymatic methods (eg, alcohol dehydrogenase)); qualitative or quantitative, all sources, includes specimen validity testing, per day,…”

  • G0480 - 1-7 drug class(es), including metabolite(s) if performed.
  • G0481 - 8-14 drug class(es), including metabolite(s) if performed.
  • G0482 - 15-21 drug class(es), including metabolite(s) if performed.
  • G0483 - 22 or more drug class(es), including metabolite(s) if performed.

Even though Medicare has their own codes for definitive drug testing, as you can see, they rely heavily on CPT definitions. Very important verbiage for both CPT codes 80320-80377 and HCPCS codes G0480-G0483 is that these codes are not to be used for drug testing by immunoassay and enzymatic methods. One last thing to note – all the HCPCS drug testing codes include testing for specimen validation, such as pH, creatinine, etc. Testing to ensure the integrity of the specimen should not be billed separately.

For 2016, we may not have gotten what we wanted when it comes to drug testing codes, but we have to live with what we got. So get busy and update your charge description master.

Article Author: Debbie Rubio, BS MT (ASCP)
Debbie Rubio, BS MT (ASCP), was the Manager of Regulatory Affairs and Compliance at Medical Management Plus, Inc. Debbie has over twenty-seven years of experience in healthcare including nine years as the Clinical Compliance Coordinator at a large multi-facility health system. In her current position, Debbie monitors, interprets and communicates current and upcoming regulatory and compliance issues as they relate to specific entities concerning Medicare and other payers.

This material was compiled to share information.  MMP, Inc. is not offering legal advice. Every reasonable effort has been taken to ensure the information is accurate and useful.