tci Part B Insider - 2019 Issue Q4

Reader Question: Tackle Tick Bites with These Tips

Question: When a patient has a tick bite and the clinician orders a test for suspected Lyme disease, what diagnosis and procedure codes are appropriate?  North Carolina Subscriber Answer: The procedure code depends on what test your lab performs. Based on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation, most insurers cover a two-tier testing algorithm that involves an initial test for antibodies, such as 86618 (Antibody; Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease)), followed by a confirmatory test if the initial test is positive: 86617 (Antibody; Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) confirmatory test (eg, Western Blot or immunoblot)). Other tests...

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