Summary & Overview
CPT 0107T: Vibration Sensation Threshold Assessment
CPT code 0107T identifies a quantitative assessment of vibration sensation threshold performed on an extremity to evaluate and quantify large-fiber sensory function. This procedure supports diagnosis of peripheral nerve injury and neuropathies by comparing measured vibration thresholds to normative values. Nationally, services that objectively quantify sensory impairment inform clinical decision-making, disability evaluations, and targeted management of neuropathic conditions.
Key payers discussed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise description of the procedure, typical sites of service, and an overview of the clinical context in which the test is used. The publication also presents payer coverage considerations, common billing modifiers associated with the service, and related coding guidance where available. Policy updates and benchmark data are summarized when provided; where input data is missing, the report notes that information is not available in the input.
This analysis is intended for a national audience of clinicians, billing professionals, and policy analysts seeking a clear, factual summary of CPT code 0107T, its clinical purpose, and the payer landscape relevant to quantifying peripheral sensory function.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 0107T describes an assessment in which a provider determines a patient’s vibration sensation threshold by stimulating the skin of an extremity and comparing the results to normal values. The service quantifies sensory function of an extremity to help diagnose damage to large nerve endings.
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Service type: Sensory nerve function testing (quantitative vibration threshold assessment)
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Typical site of service: Outpatient clinic or specialty neurology/physical medicine setting where peripheral nerve function testing is performed
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Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 58-year-old patient with a history of type 2 diabetes and progressive numbness in the feet is referred to a neurology clinic to quantify large-fiber sensory loss. The provider performs a vibration sensation threshold test on the dorsal surface of the great toe and the medial malleolus using a calibrated vibrator. Results are compared to age- and sex-adjusted normal values and documented in the clinic note, including test sites, patient cooperation, threshold values, and interpretation. The procedure is typically ordered to evaluate suspected peripheral neuropathy, monitor progression of known neuropathy, or assess nerve injury after trauma or surgical intervention. Typical sites of service include outpatient neurology clinics, physiatry or rehabilitation clinics, diabetes centers, and occasionally inpatient consultation settings. The clinical workflow includes review of history and prior exams, consenting the patient, performing the stimulation and recording numeric threshold or descriptive results, correlating findings with reflex and motor exam, and generating an assessment that contributes to diagnostic coding and care planning.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when reporting only the physician’s interpretation or professional portion separate from technical services provided by another entity. |
51 | Multiple procedures | Use when multiple distinct procedures are reported on the same day by the same provider and payer requires modifier. |
52 | Reduced services | Use when the vibration threshold test is partially reduced or not completed as originally intended. |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use when the test is started but discontinued due to patient instability or other uncontrollable circumstances. |
54 | Surgical care only | Rarely used; apply when the procedure is related to a split surgical care scenario where this testing is part of the surgical episode and only surgical care is billed by the surgeon. |
55 | Postoperative management only | Use when only postoperative management is billed by the provider separate from the test itself. |
62 | Two surgeons | Use when two surgeons of different specialties are required and one surgeon documents a component relevant to the nerve assessment in a surgical case. |
78 | Return to operating room for same site | Use when the test is performed in the setting of a return to OR related encounter when applicable to billing rules. |
80 | Assistant surgeon | Use when an assistant surgeon documents participation relevant to intraoperative peripheral nerve assessment. |
TC | Technical component | Use when billing only the technical component (equipment/technician) of the vibration threshold testing. |
QK | Medical direction of two or more assistants | Use when the physician provides medical direction for multiple qualified assistants involved in perioperative care that includes sensory testing. |
QX | Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) service with medical direction | Typically not applicable directly to this test but listed among available modifiers when anesthesia-related services intersect. |
QY | Medical direction of one CRNA by an anesthesiologist | As above, rarely applicable to this procedure but included for completeness when anesthesia services are billed alongside. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2084P0800X | Neurology | Neurologists commonly perform and interpret vibration threshold testing for peripheral neuropathy evaluation. |
| 2084N0400X | Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation | Physiatrists perform sensory testing as part of neuromuscular and post-injury assessments. |
| 207RH0000X | Family Medicine | Primary care physicians in diabetes clinics may perform bedside quantitative sensation testing. |
| 207L00000X | Internal Medicine | Internists managing diabetes and metabolic disorders commonly order and interpret sensory testing. |
| 363L00000X | Podiatry | Podiatrists assess vibration sensation in diabetic foot examinations and neuropathy screening. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
E11.40 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic neuropathy, unspecified | Diabetes is a leading cause of peripheral neuropathy; vibration threshold testing quantifies large-fiber sensory loss. |
G60.9 | Hereditary and idiopathic neuropathy, unspecified | Used when peripheral neuropathy of non-acquired origin is evaluated with sensory threshold testing. |
G62.0 | Drug-induced polyneuropathy | Vibration testing helps assess severity of sensory involvement due to neurotoxic medications. |
G56.0 | Carpal tunnel syndrome | Vibration testing may be adjunctive to assess sensory loss in median nerve entrapment of the hand. |
M79.2 | Neuralgia and neuritis, unspecified | Used when localized nerve pain prompts sensory testing to evaluate large-fiber function. |
S54.119A | Injury of unspecified ulnar nerve at forearm level, initial encounter | Post-traumatic nerve injury assessment includes quantifying vibration sensation to document loss and recovery. |
R20.2 | Paresthesia of skin | Non-specific sensory symptoms are often evaluated with vibration threshold testing to clarify large-fiber involvement. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
95905 | Sensory nerve conduction studies; 1-2 studies | Performed when objective electrodiagnostic confirmation of peripheral neuropathy is required in addition to vibration threshold testing. |
95907 | Motor nerve conduction studies; 1-2 studies | May be performed alongside sensory studies to assess motor nerve involvement when vibration testing suggests large-fiber neuropathy. |
95886 | Needle electromyography; one extremity with or without related paraspinal areas | Used when clinical examination, including vibration threshold testing, suggests denervation or neuromuscular disorder requiring EMG. |
99406 | Smoking and tobacco use cessation counseling, intermediate | Often provided in patients with neuropathy risk factors (e.g., vascular disease); may be billed during the same visit when documented separately. |
99000 | Handling and/or conveyance of specimen for transfer from the office to a laboratory | Occasionally used if adjunct laboratory testing is obtained in the same encounter to evaluate causes of neuropathy (e.g., glucose, B12) and specimen handling is required. |