2025 CPT code 88147
Effective Date: N/A Pathology and Laboratory Procedures > Cytopathology Procedures Feed
Cytopathology smears, cervical or vaginal; screening by automated system under physician supervision.
Modifiers may be applicable. Refer to payer guidelines for specific modifier usage.
Medical necessity is determined by the patient's risk factors (age, family history, symptoms), and the clinical rationale for the screening should be documented.
The lab analyst performs all technical steps to screen the cytopathology smear under a physician’s supervision. Although not limited to testing for a specific condition, providers may order this test routinely on female patients as part of an annual exam, on patients with a family history of cervical cancer, and on patients with pain or discharge from the vagina.
In simple words: A lab technician uses a machine to look at cells from your cervix or vagina to check for anything unusual. The doctor is in charge of this process.
The lab analyst performs the technical lab test to screen a cervical or vaginal cytopathology smear under a physician’s supervision. This code is for one screening using an automated system. The lab analyst performs all technical steps to screen a cytopathology smear that a clinician obtained from the cervix or vagina. The analyst uses an automated system under a physician’s supervision. Most commonly the cytopathology specimen will be a Pap smear. In a separate service, the clinician uses a swab or brush type instrument to scrape some cells from the vagina or cervix. He then places the specimen on a slide for microscopic analysis. This specimen is not a biopsy or a core of tissue; the specimen is just cells from the area of the cervix or vagina. The lab analyst then places the slide in the machine that will screen for any abnormalities. A physician supervises this procedure.
Example 1: A 25-year-old female patient undergoes a routine annual exam, including a Pap smear. The specimen is processed and screened by an automated system in the laboratory under physician supervision., A 40-year-old female patient presents with vaginal discharge.A Pap smear is collected and analyzed using an automated screening system in the lab to rule out cancerous or precancerous changes in the cervix., A 30-year-old female patient with a family history of cervical cancer undergoes a Pap smear. The sample is analyzed in the lab by an automated system as a screening measure.
Documentation should include the specimen source (cervical or vaginal), the method of collection, and a record of the automated screening process. If abnormalities are detected, the report should include details of the findings.
** Medicare requires the use of HCPCS codes for screening Pap tests.Other payers may have different coding requirements. HCPCS codes for Pap smears include the technical component and professional interpretation (if applicable):*Technical/Professional (up to 3 smears): P3000/P3001*Automated screening/Professional: G0147/G0141 (or G0148/G0141 with manual rescreening)*ThinPrep/Professional: G0123/G0124 (cytotechnologist screening), G0143/G0124 (cytotechnologist screening and rescreening), G0144/G0124 (automated screening), or G0145/G0124 (automated screening and manual rescreening)
- Revenue Code: T1H - LAB TESTS - OTHER (NON-MEDICARE FEE SCHEDULE)
- Specialties:Pathology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine
- Place of Service:Independent Laboratory, Office