Reporting Drug Testing Codes (March 2000)

Why This Topic Matters

Drug testing is reported across multiple CPT subsections, so understanding how the article organizes the topic helps readers locate the right coding guidance and interpret laboratory reporting contexts more efficiently.

Article Sections

1. March 2000 pages 1-3

   Introductory material identifying the publication context and overall topic. It frames the article’s focus on CPT drug testing reporting.

2. Reporting Drug Testing Codes

   Overview of CPT drug testing within the pathology and laboratory section, including the broad categories of testing addressed in the article. It also introduces the relationship between qualitative, quantitative, and confirmatory laboratory methods.

3. Table of Drugs and the Appropriate Qualitative Screening, Confirmatory, and Quantitative Codes

   Reference table organizing common drug categories alongside the CPT coding categories discussed in the article. It serves as a broad crosswalk between drug classes and reporting approaches.

4. Clinical Vignettes

   Illustrative case scenarios showing how the article’s reporting concepts are presented in practice. The vignettes reinforce the article’s general discussion of laboratory method categories and code assignment contexts.