Laboratory Compliance Question of the We
January 30, 2012
Question:
For HIV 1/2, do we use 1 or 2 codes?
Answer:
The selection of CPT will depend on the test platform your lab uses. Codes 86701, 86702 and 86703 represent a rapid point-of-care platform for antibody detection. These are confirmed by another method such as the Western Blot (86689). The revised description for 86703 will not affect the current test-order process. The addition of 87389 now provides a coding option for HIV-1 Ag, HIV-1 Ab, or HIV-2 Ab by EIA, yielding a reactive result if one or multiple analytes are present or a non-reactive result if none of the analytes are present. Education of physicians and notification of this testing option should occur if your laboratory offers this test platform.
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