2025 CPT code 87003
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Inoculation and Concentration Procedures - Microbiology Procedures Pathology and Laboratory Feed
Animal inoculation, small animal; with observation and dissection.
Modifiers 59 and 91 can be applied as described in the coding guidelines.
Medical necessity for this code must be carefully documented. It should be used when other, less complex tests are not able to definitively identify the cause of the patient's symptoms and the suspected diagnosis requires confirmation through animal inoculation.
The lab analyst performs the procedure, including inoculating the animal, observing its reaction, and conducting the dissection. This might be done to identify a toxin-producing organism, like Clostridium botulinum.
In simple words: A lab test where a small animal is injected with a sample from a patient to see how it reacts. The animal is monitored and then examined after it dies to help diagnose the patient.
This code represents the process of inoculating a small animal (like a mouse) with a sample, observing the animal for reactions to the inoculation, and then dissecting the animal after death to further analyze the effects of the inoculated material.This procedure is often utilized when other, less complex, methods of identifying toxins or infectious agents are unavailable or have yielded inconclusive results.
Example 1: A newborn infant presents with symptoms suggestive of botulism, but initial tests are inconclusive.To confirm the diagnosis, a small animal inoculation with observation and dissection (87003) is performed., A patient exhibits neurological symptoms indicative of a rare, unidentified toxin. After standard diagnostic tests prove insufficient, a small animal inoculation is conducted using code 87003 to aid in identifying the causative agent., A case of suspected food poisoning requires more in-depth analysis than routine cultures. Code 87003 is used for small animal inoculation and observation to pinpoint the specific toxin causing the illness.
Documentation should include details of the specimen, the animal used, the observation period, findings from the dissection, and the rationale for using this method.It's crucial to justify the medical necessity of using animal inoculation due to its complexity and the availability of alternative testing methods.
- Revenue Code: T1H - LAB TESTS - OTHER (NON-MEDICARE FEE SCHEDULE)
- Payment Status: Active
- Specialties:Microbiology, Infectious Disease
- Place of Service:Independent Laboratory