Medical Billing Forum

General Category => General Questions => : Christine_1 January 28, 2009, 09:14:05 PM

: Paps
: Christine_1 January 28, 2009, 09:14:05 PM
I have read several different answers on several different sites. I am really confused on billing paps. We send our paps to quest to be processed. We collect the specimen and send it off. Ok so here is a scenerio.
45 Year old, Established patient
Dr. does pap+breast exam, UA, Hemmocult
99396
81000
82270
are there other cpt for the pap that I should be using?
: Re: Paps
: Michele January 28, 2009, 11:28:07 PM
There is no separate CPT code for obtaining a Pap smear specimen.  It is considered to be part of another service rendered at the same visit.  If the specimen is sent to an outside laboratory, CPT code 99000, "Handling and/or conveyance of specimen for transfer from the physician's office to a laboratory," can be submitted for handling the specimen but should not be used for the collection of the Pap smear.  Reimbursement of this code is inconsistent.

If the patient has Medicare, you can submit Q0091, but Medicare doesn't reimburse for the preventative medicine codes.

Michele