Clinical Pathology Consultations 80500, 80502 (November 2002)

November 2002 page 9 Coding Brief:Clinical Pathology Consultations 80500, 80502 Physician review of pertinent laboratory test results is frequently performed in the course of providing care to patients. Often, review of laboratory test results occurs in conjunction with the provision of an evaluation and management (E/M) service. Considered part of the non-face-to-face time activities associated with the overall E/M service, the review of the laboratory results is not a separately reportable service. However, depending on the type of review performed and the circumstances of the request for the review, there may be instances when it is appropriate to report...

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Note:  The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AMA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.

Article Overview

This CPT Assistant article reviews clinical pathology consultation services and the circumstances under which they may be reported instead of being treated as part of an evaluation and management service. It is aimed at coders, billing staff, and pathology professionals who need to understand the broad reporting context, documentation expectations, and the relationship between laboratory test review and consultative pathology services. The article also discusses related consultation concepts, including when additional interpretive judgment and patient information review are involved.

Why This Topic Matters

Accurate reporting of pathology consultation services depends on recognizing when a laboratory review is routine versus when it rises to a separately reportable consultative service. The article is relevant for avoiding improper bundling and for understanding the documentation context surrounding these CPT pathology codes.

Article Sections

  1. Coding Brief

    Introduces the topic and frames clinical pathology consultation within broader physician review of laboratory results and related evaluation and management services.

  2. Determining the Pathology Consultation

    Summarizes the general consultation framework, documentation context, and the kinds of professional review discussed in the article. It also distinguishes the two CPT clinical pathology consultation services at a high level.

What You Will Learn

  • How the article frames clinical pathology consultation services within laboratory result review
  • What general documentation context is discussed for consultation reporting
  • How the article distinguishes the two CPT clinical pathology consultation services at a broad level
  • What related consultative scenarios are mentioned in connection with pathology review

Who Should Read This

  • Medical coders
  • Pathology billing staff
  • Physician office billing staff
  • Clinical pathologists
  • Revenue cycle professionals

Codes Discussed

Code Ranges Discussed


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