Reporting Pathology and Laboratory Codes 86581 and 87594

August 2025 page 11 Reporting Pathology and Laboratory Codes 86581 and 87594 For the CPT 2025 code set, new codes (86581, 87594) were established, and guidelines were revised in the Pathology and Laboratory section to report laboratory services or procedures that were formerly not represented. Code 86581 was added to the Immunology subsection to report testing for Streptococcus pneumoniae using an antibody assay, and code 87594 was added to the Microbiology subsection to report testing for Pneumocystis jirovecii by amplified probe technique. This article provides an overview of the intent and appropriate reporting of these new code changes. Pathology...

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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 article reviews a 2025 CPT update in the Pathology and Laboratory section focused on newly established laboratory services. It is intended for coding professionals, laboratory staff, and clinicians who need to understand the scope of the changes, the affected subsections, and the kinds of clinical scenarios and procedural descriptions associated with the new reporting options.

Why This Topic Matters

New laboratory codes can affect claim accuracy, documentation alignment, and consistent reporting across immunology and microbiology services. Understanding the update helps readers recognize which test categories were added in 2025 and how the article frames their clinical use.

Article Sections

  1. August 2025 page 11

    Publication header and article context for the coding update.

  2. Pathology and Laboratory

    Overview of the 2025 update within the broader CPT Pathology and Laboratory section.

  3. Immunology

    Discussion of the immunology subsection and the new reporting topic introduced in that area.

  4. Microbiology

    Discussion of the microbiology subsection and the new reporting topic introduced in that area.

  5. Clinical Example (86581) / Description of Procedure (86581)

    A representative clinical scenario and associated procedural description for the immunology-related reporting topic.

  6. Clinical Example (87594) / Description of Procedure (87594)

    A representative clinical scenario and associated procedural description for the microbiology-related reporting topic.

What You Will Learn

  • What areas of the CPT Pathology and Laboratory section were updated for 2025
  • Which laboratory service categories are addressed in the article
  • How the article frames the clinical context for the newly established reporting topics
  • What kinds of procedural descriptions accompany the new laboratory reporting topics

Who Should Read This

  • Medical coders
  • Pathology and laboratory billing staff
  • Compliance teams
  • Clinical laboratory professionals
  • Physician office staff

Codes Discussed

Code Ranges Discussed


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