Medical Coding

Category - Laboratory and Pathology

A 26 year old must have a drug screen performed in order to obtain a job at a local nursing home. The nursing home orders a 7-panel drug screen for amphetamines, benzodiazepines, cocaine, heroin, methadone, opiates, and oxycodone. If any of these come up positive by direct optical observation, then definitive drug testing is ordered as reflex testing. This patient did not have any positives on optical observation so no additional testing was performed. What is the correct CPT code for this drug screen?
  1. 80300
  2. 80301
  3. 80302
  4. 80303
Explanation
Answer: A - 80300 is the correct code for direct optical observation drug testing of any number of drug classes from Drug Class A. Because no additional testing was performed, there is no need for additional codes.

Code 80301 is incorrect because this is for a single drug class using instrumented tests systems. Code 80302 is incorrect because this code is for Drug Class List B and 80303 is incorrect because this code is used for any number of drug class screens using chromatography procedures and not direct optical observation.
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