Notice to Readers: Revision of Acute Hepatitis Panel
Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes are standardized codes
developed and maintained by the American Medical Association (AMA) for the classification
and reporting of medical services. The Health Care Financing Administration
(HCFA) requires the use of these codes for reporting services to Medicare and Medicaid
for reimbursement. On January 1, 1998, the components of the test panel for acute
viral hepatitis (CPT#80059) were changed 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),
the tests that specifically identify recent infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV) and
hepatitis B virus (HBV).
Effective January 1, 2000 (CPT 2000), the acute hepatitis panel has been
revised (CPT#80074) to re-include the tests for IgM anti-HAV and IgM anti-HBc. This
revised panel, which also includes tests for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and
antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV), should be used to diagnose any patient presenting
with signs and/or symptoms of acute viral hepatitis. Additional information on CPT codes
is available at the AMA World-Wide Web site, http://www.amaassn.org/medsci/cpt/coding.htm.*
*References to sites of non-CDC organizations on the World-Wide Web are provided as
a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply endorsement of these
organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is
not responsible for the content of pages found at these sites.
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