Changes in the 1998 CPT

A new series of CPT codes for antigen detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) techniques has been created for the following infectious agents. Each infectious agent detection is classified as either by direct probe technique, amplified probe technique, or quantification.

  • Bartonella henselae and Bartonella quintana
  • Borrelia burgdorferi
  • Candida species
  • Chlamydia pneumoniae
  • Chlamydia trachomatis
  • Cytomegalovirus
  • Garderella vaginalis
  • Hepatitis B virus
  • Hepatitis C
  • Hepatitis G
  • Herpes simplex virus
  • Herpes virus-6
  • HIV-1 and HIV-2
  • Legionella pneumophila
  • Mycobacterium species
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare
  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae
  • Neisseria gonorrhoeae
  • Papillomavirus
  • Streptococcus, group A
  • Infectious agent not otherwise specified

pap smear procedures
Codes 88151 (CYTOPATHOLOGY: smears, cervical or vaginal, up to three smears; requiring physician interpretation) and 88157 (CYTOPATHOLOGY: smears, cervical or vaginal, up to three smears, the Bethesda System (TBS); requiring physician interpretation) have been replaced with the single new code 88141 (CYTOPATHOLOGY: smears, cervical or vaginal, up to three smears; any reporting system, requiring physician interpretation).
Two new codes (88152 and 88158) have been added for automated rescreening of slides using conventional and Bethesda system techniques, and code 88142 has been created for reporting automated thin layer preparations screened by cytotechnologists under physician supervision.

embryo preparation and transfer codes
The following new codes are now available:

  • 89251 CULTURE AND FERTILIZATION OF OOCYTE(S): with coculture of embryos
  • 89252 ASSISTED OOCYTE FERTILIZATION: microtechnique
  • 89253 ASSISTED EMBRYO HATCHING: microtechniques
  • 89254 OOCYTE IDENTIFICATION FROM FOLLICULAR FLUID
  • 89255 PREPARATION OF EMBRYO FOR TRANSFER
  • 89256 PREPARATION OF CRYOPRESERVED EMBRYOS FOR TRANSFER
  • 89257 SPERM IDENTIFICATION FROM ASPIRATION: other than seminal fluid
  • 89258 CRYOPRESERVATION: embryo
  • 89259 CRYOPRESERVATION: sperm
  • 89260 SPERM ISOLATION: simple prep, for insemination or diagnosis with semen analysis
  • 89261 SPERM ISOLATION: complex prep, for insemination or diagnosis with semen analysis