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CPT 0052U: VAP Cholesterol Test, High-Resolution Lipoprotein Fractionation

CPT code 0052U designates the VAP® Cholesterol Test, a Proprietary Laboratory Analyses (PLA) assay that performs high-resolution lipoprotein fractionation and quantitative measurement of a comprehensive lipoprotein panel. The code represents a specialized laboratory service focused on detailed cardiovascular risk markers beyond standard lipid testing, including subclass breakdowns for HDL, LDL, and VLDL as well as lipoprotein(a) and IDL. Nationally, PLA codes like 0052U matter because they identify manufacturer- or lab-specific assays whose use can affect coverage, claim adjudication, and data comparability across payers.

Key payers considered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context for advanced lipoprotein testing, common billing and service characteristics for this laboratory assay, and the payer landscape relevant to proprietary tests. The publication summarizes where 0052U fits in laboratory service lines, clarifies typical sites of service and the nature of the assay, and outlines which payers are part of the coverage and billing discussion. Data not provided in the input for specific reimbursement benchmarks, modifiers usage patterns, and mappings to diagnosis codes are noted as unavailable.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 0052U is a Proprietary Laboratory Analyses (PLA) code for the VAP® Cholesterol Test by VAP Diagnostics Laboratory, Inc. The test uses high-resolution lipoprotein fractionation to measure a detailed lipoprotein profile in a patient blood specimen, including total lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very–low–density lipoprotein (VLDL), lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)), intermediate–density lipoprotein (IDL), HDL subclasses (HDL2 and HDL3), LDL subclasses (LDL1, LDL2, LDL3, LDL4), and VLDL subclasses (VLDL1, VLDL2, VLDL3).

Service type: Laboratory — Proprietary high-resolution lipoprotein fractionation and quantitative lipoprotein analysis.

Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or independent reference laboratory.

Data not available in the input for associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, related codes, and service line.

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CPT 0052U: VAP Cholesterol Test, High-Resolution Lipoprotein Fractionation

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Get alerted when payer policies referencing 0052U are released or updated.

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Laboratory — Proprietary high-resolution lipoprotein fractionation and quantitative lipoprotein analysis.

Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or independent reference laboratory.

Data not available in the input for associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, related codes, and service line.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 58-year-old patient with mixed dyslipidemia and a family history of premature coronary artery disease presents for cardiovascular risk assessment after statin therapy produces borderline LDL changes. The clinician orders the VAP® Cholesterol Test (0052U) to obtain high-resolution lipoprotein fractionation. A blood specimen is collected in an outpatient phlebotomy clinic or hospital laboratory, labeled, and shipped per the laboratory’s specimen requirements. The VAP test returns detailed measures including total lipoprotein, HDL, LDL, VLDL, Lp(a), IDL, HDL2/HDL3, LDL1–LDL4, and VLDL1–VLDL3. Results are reviewed by the ordering clinician during the follow-up visit to refine cardiovascular risk stratification and to guide lipid-targeted therapy adjustments. Typical sites of service include outpatient hospital labs, independent reference laboratories, and ambulatory clinic phlebotomy suites.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`00`	Global procedure indicator	Not typically appended to PLA codes; system-level use only.
`11`	Primary procedure	Use when `0052U` is the primary service on the claim.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use if additional, separate professional work or handling is required beyond the standard test.
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the professional interpretation component if applicable and separable.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when specimen is unsuitable for full analysis and a reduced service is performed.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if the laboratory procedure was initiated but discontinued for clinical reasons.
`62`	Two surgeons (or two providers)	Rare for lab testing; use only if two qualified providers share responsibility per payer rules.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Not commonly applicable; include only per payer policy if an assistant is formally documented.
`82`	Assistant surgeon (when a qualified resident not available)	See `80`; include only per payer requirements.
`AD`	Medical team participation	Use when `0052U` is part of a coordinated care team billing model requiring this modifier.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services	Use when an advanced practitioner orders or oversees the test per payer rules.
`QX`	Rendering provider is the supervising physician and nonphysician practitioner (modifier for Medicare reporting)	Use when required by payer for split/shared or supervision reporting.
`QY`	Medical direction of one physician over two or more qualified individuals performing the service	Use when a physician directs the testing personnel per payer policy.
`TC`	Technical component	Use when billing only the laboratory technical component of the test (instrumentation, reagents, processing).

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207RC0000X	Clinical Pathology	Pathologists and clinical laboratory physicians overseeing high-complexity testing.
208000000X	Internal Medicine	Primary care and cardiology clinicians ordering advanced lipid testing for risk stratification.
207RR0500X	Phlebology	Phlebotomists and laboratory collection specialists responsible for specimen procurement and handling.
2084P0800X	Cardiology	Cardiologists interpreting advanced lipoprotein profiles for therapeutic decisions.
363A00000X	Clinical Laboratory Technologist	Laboratory technologists performing high-resolution fractionation and assay processing.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`E78.5`	Hyperlipidemia, unspecified	Common indication for ordering advanced lipoprotein fractionation to characterize dyslipidemia.
`E78.0`	Pure hypercholesterolemia	Used when elevated cholesterol prompts detailed subclass analysis with `0052U`.
`E78.2`	Mixed hyperlipidemia	Advanced profiling helps distinguish particle subclasses contributing to mixed abnormalities.
`I25.10`	Atherosclerotic heart disease of native coronary artery, unspecified	Applied when assessing residual risk in patients with known coronary artery disease.
`Z13.6`	Encounter for screening for cardiovascular disorders	Screening context where detailed lipoprotein testing is used for risk stratification.
`E78.49`	Other hyperlipidemia, combined	Used for less specific lipid disorders where subclass data inform management.
`E78.21`	Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]	Directly relevant because `0052U` reports Lp(a) levels as part of the panel.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`80061`	Lipid panel; total, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides	Commonly ordered alongside `0052U` for routine lipid screening; provides standard lipid values for comparison.
`83695`	Apolipoprotein B (Apo B)	Often ordered with advanced lipoprotein testing to further quantify atherogenic particle burden.
`83704`	Low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, direct measurement	May be ordered in conjunction when direct LDL confirmation is desired alongside VAP fractions.
`82803`	Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] measurement, quantitative	Although Lp(a) is reported in `0052U`, separate `Lp(a)` testing code may be used if performed independently.
`36415`	Collection of venous blood by venipuncture	Performed prior to sending the specimen for `0052U`; represents the specimen collection step in the workflow.

CPT 0001U: PreciseType HEA Multiplex Erythrocyte Antigen Assay

CPT-0002U-POLYPDX-URINE-METABOLOMIC-ASSAY-ADENOMATOUS-POLYP-RISK

CPT 0002U: Urine Metabolomic Polyp Risk Assay (PolypDX™)

CPT-0003U-OVAR-A-NEXT-GENERATION-OVARIAN-CANCER-RISK-ASSAY

CPT 0003U: Overa™ (OVA1 Next Generation) Ovarian Cancer Risk Assay

CPT-0005U-PROSTATE-EXOSOMEDX-INTELLISCORE-GENE-EXPRESSION-URINE-TEST

CPT 0005U: ExosomeDx Prostate (IntelliScore) Urine Gene Expression Risk Test

CPT-0007U-TOXPROTECT-URINE-DRUG-SCREEN-WITH-DNA-AUTHENTICATION

CPT 0007U: ToxProtect Urine Drug Screen with DNA Authentication

CPT-0008U-H-PYLORI-ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANCE-SEQUENCING-PANEL

CPT 0008U: H. pylori Antibiotic Resistance Panel, Gene Sequence Analysis

CPT-0009U-DEPARRAY-HER2-FISH-TUMOR-CELL-ISOLATION

CPT 0009U: DEPArray HER2 Tumor‑Cell Isolation with FISH Analysis

CPT-0010U-BACTERIAL-TYPING-WHOLE-GENOME-SEQUENCING-MAYO-CLINIC

CPT 0010U: Bacterial Typing by Whole Genome Sequencing, Mayo Clinic

CPT-0011U-CORDANT-CORE-ALGORITHMIC-ORAL-FLUID-DRUG-TEST

CPT 0011U: Cordant CORE™ Oral Fluid Drug Test with Algorithmic Steady‑State Comparison

CPT-0016U-BCR-ABL1-MAJOR-MINOR-FUSION-TRANSCRIPT-TESTING

CPT 0016U: BCR–ABL1 Major and Minor Breakpoint Fusion Transcript Testing

Showing 1–10 of 536

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`00`	Global procedure indicator	Not typically appended to PLA codes; system-level use only.
`11`	Primary procedure	Use when `0052U` is the primary service on the claim.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use if additional, separate professional work or handling is required beyond the standard test.
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the professional interpretation component if applicable and separable.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when specimen is unsuitable for full analysis and a reduced service is performed.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if the laboratory procedure was initiated but discontinued for clinical reasons.
`62`	Two surgeons (or two providers)	Rare for lab testing; use only if two qualified providers share responsibility per payer rules.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Not commonly applicable; include only per payer policy if an assistant is formally documented.
`82`	Assistant surgeon (when a qualified resident not available)	See `80`; include only per payer requirements.
`AD`	Medical team participation	Use when `0052U` is part of a coordinated care team billing model requiring this modifier.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services	Use when an advanced practitioner orders or oversees the test per payer rules.
`QX`	Rendering provider is the supervising physician and nonphysician practitioner (modifier for Medicare reporting)	Use when required by payer for split/shared or supervision reporting.
`QY`	Medical direction of one physician over two or more qualified individuals performing the service	Use when a physician directs the testing personnel per payer policy.
`TC`	Technical component	Use when billing only the laboratory technical component of the test (instrumentation, reagents, processing).

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207RC0000X	Clinical Pathology	Pathologists and clinical laboratory physicians overseeing high-complexity testing.
208000000X	Internal Medicine	Primary care and cardiology clinicians ordering advanced lipid testing for risk stratification.
207RR0500X	Phlebology	Phlebotomists and laboratory collection specialists responsible for specimen procurement and handling.
2084P0800X	Cardiology	Cardiologists interpreting advanced lipoprotein profiles for therapeutic decisions.
363A00000X	Clinical Laboratory Technologist	Laboratory technologists performing high-resolution fractionation and assay processing.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`E78.5`	Hyperlipidemia, unspecified	Common indication for ordering advanced lipoprotein fractionation to characterize dyslipidemia.
`E78.0`	Pure hypercholesterolemia	Used when elevated cholesterol prompts detailed subclass analysis with `0052U`.
`E78.2`	Mixed hyperlipidemia	Advanced profiling helps distinguish particle subclasses contributing to mixed abnormalities.
`I25.10`	Atherosclerotic heart disease of native coronary artery, unspecified	Applied when assessing residual risk in patients with known coronary artery disease.
`Z13.6`	Encounter for screening for cardiovascular disorders	Screening context where detailed lipoprotein testing is used for risk stratification.
`E78.49`	Other hyperlipidemia, combined	Used for less specific lipid disorders where subclass data inform management.
`E78.21`	Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]	Directly relevant because `0052U` reports Lp(a) levels as part of the panel.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`80061`	Lipid panel; total, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides	Commonly ordered alongside `0052U` for routine lipid screening; provides standard lipid values for comparison.
`83695`	Apolipoprotein B (Apo B)	Often ordered with advanced lipoprotein testing to further quantify atherogenic particle burden.
`83704`	Low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, direct measurement	May be ordered in conjunction when direct LDL confirmation is desired alongside VAP fractions.
`82803`	Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] measurement, quantitative	Although Lp(a) is reported in `0052U`, separate `Lp(a)` testing code may be used if performed independently.
`36415`	Collection of venous blood by venipuncture	Performed prior to sending the specimen for `0052U`; represents the specimen collection step in the workflow.

CPT 0001U: PreciseType HEA Multiplex Erythrocyte Antigen Assay

CPT-0002U-POLYPDX-URINE-METABOLOMIC-ASSAY-ADENOMATOUS-POLYP-RISK

CPT 0002U: Urine Metabolomic Polyp Risk Assay (PolypDX™)

CPT-0003U-OVAR-A-NEXT-GENERATION-OVARIAN-CANCER-RISK-ASSAY

CPT 0003U: Overa™ (OVA1 Next Generation) Ovarian Cancer Risk Assay

CPT-0005U-PROSTATE-EXOSOMEDX-INTELLISCORE-GENE-EXPRESSION-URINE-TEST

CPT 0005U: ExosomeDx Prostate (IntelliScore) Urine Gene Expression Risk Test

CPT-0007U-TOXPROTECT-URINE-DRUG-SCREEN-WITH-DNA-AUTHENTICATION

CPT 0007U: ToxProtect Urine Drug Screen with DNA Authentication

CPT-0008U-H-PYLORI-ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANCE-SEQUENCING-PANEL

CPT 0008U: H. pylori Antibiotic Resistance Panel, Gene Sequence Analysis

CPT-0009U-DEPARRAY-HER2-FISH-TUMOR-CELL-ISOLATION

CPT 0009U: DEPArray HER2 Tumor‑Cell Isolation with FISH Analysis

CPT-0010U-BACTERIAL-TYPING-WHOLE-GENOME-SEQUENCING-MAYO-CLINIC

CPT 0010U: Bacterial Typing by Whole Genome Sequencing, Mayo Clinic

CPT-0011U-CORDANT-CORE-ALGORITHMIC-ORAL-FLUID-DRUG-TEST

CPT 0011U: Cordant CORE™ Oral Fluid Drug Test with Algorithmic Steady‑State Comparison

CPT-0016U-BCR-ABL1-MAJOR-MINOR-FUSION-TRANSCRIPT-TESTING

CPT 0016U: BCR–ABL1 Major and Minor Breakpoint Fusion Transcript Testing

Showing 1–10 of 536

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

OpenPayer

CPT 0052U: VAP Cholesterol Test, High-Resolution Lipoprotein Fractionation

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 0052U: VAP Cholesterol Test, High-Resolution Lipoprotein Fractionation

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Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

CPT 0052U: VAP Cholesterol Test, High-Resolution Lipoprotein Fractionation

Sign up for cpt 0052U policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

CPT 0052U: VAP Cholesterol Test, High-Resolution Lipoprotein Fractionation

Sign up for cpt 0052U policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT code 0052U represent and what analytes does the test report?

Where is the VAP® Cholesterol Test (0052U) typically performed and how is the specimen handled?

Which CPT/claim modifiers are relevant for billing 0052U and when might they be used?

What other CPT codes are commonly ordered with 0052U?

Which payers are discussed for 0052U and does the page provide specific coverage or reimbursement rates?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT code 0052U represent and what analytes does the test report?

Where is the VAP® Cholesterol Test (0052U) typically performed and how is the specimen handled?

Which CPT/claim modifiers are relevant for billing 0052U and when might they be used?

What other CPT codes are commonly ordered with 0052U?

Which payers are discussed for 0052U and does the page provide specific coverage or reimbursement rates?

References