Overhauled 2015 CPT drug test codes bring changes for coders and providers

Why This Topic Matters

These changes affect how drug testing services are categorized, documented, and reported in 2015 CPT-based workflows. Understanding the article helps coding and clinical staff keep pace with the revised structure and the broader documentation expectations tied to drug testing orders and medical necessity.

Article Sections

1. Overview of the 2015 CPT drug testing overhaul

   Introduces the scope of the CPT laboratory section changes and the general reasons for the revision. Summarizes the broad organization of the affected reporting areas.

2. Presumptive drug class screening

   Covers the presumptive drug testing category, including broad methodology types, class-based reporting concepts, and how the section is organized in the manual. Also addresses general distinctions between the drug class groupings referenced in the article.

3. Definitive drug testing

   Reviews the definitive drug testing category and its organization by drug class. Describes the article’s general discussion of analyte-based reporting and the introduction of new definitive testing codes.

4. Therapeutic drug assays and chemistry

   Summarizes the updates affecting therapeutic drug assay reporting and the related chemistry section revisions. Includes the article’s discussion of how these sections were adjusted alongside the broader drug testing changes.

5. Documentation requirements

   Explains the documentation and ordering themes highlighted by the article. Focuses on the general medical record and physician order expectations associated with drug testing services.