Notice to Readers
Changes in CPT Code for Hepatitis Panel
Causing Delayed Reports of Acute Hepatitis
Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes are standardized
codes
developed and maintained by the CPT Board of the American Medical
Association for reporting medical services. The Health Care
Financing
Administration requires use of these codes in the Common Procedure
Coding
System when services are reported to Medicare and Medicaid for
reimbursement. Effective January 1, 1998, the CPT Board changed the
hepatitis serology panel (CPT#80059) to exclude the tests for IgM
antibody
to hepatitis A virus (IgM anti-HAV) and IgM antibody to hepatitis B
core
antigen (IgM anti-HBc). These two tests specifically identify
recent
infection with HAV and HBV, respectively. Many providers may be
unaware
that these tests are not part of the standard hepatitis panel, and
diagnoses of cases of acute viral hepatitis are likely to be
delayed by the
need to perform additional testing. As a result, reporting of cases
to
health departments may be delayed, and CDC has received reports of
instances of insufficient time to provide postexposure prophylaxis
to
prevent transmission of HAV or HBV to susceptible contacts of the
case-patient.
The CPT Board has revised the hepatitis serology panel to
include both
IgM tests that were deleted. However, these modifications will not
be
implemented until the next CPT code manual is issued on January 1,
2000.
Until this change takes effect, health departments should notify
health-care practitioners and/or laboratories of the need to order
individual tests for IgM anti-HAV (CPT#86709) and IgM anti-HBc
(CPT#86705)
for accurate determination of the cause of illness in patients with
signs
and/or symptoms of acute viral hepatitis and for timely prophylaxis
of
contacts.
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