CPT 0311U: Rapid Phenotypic AST (MIC) for Positive Blood Cultures

CPT code 0311U is a Proprietary Laboratory Analyses (PLA) code reported only for the Accelerate PhenoTest® BC kit, AST configuration from Accelerate Diagnostics Inc., providing rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) with reported minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for organisms from positive blood cultures; service type: laboratory test — rapid phenotypic AST (MIC reporting); typical site of service: clinical laboratory or hospital microbiology lab.

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CPT 0311U: Rapid Phenotypic AST (MIC) for Positive Blood Cultures

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Get alerted when payer policies referencing 0311U are released or updated.

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Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A hospitalized adult patient presents with fever, hypotension, and signs of sepsis. Blood cultures obtained from peripheral venipuncture and from the patient’s central venous catheter become positive for Gram-negative bacilli on culture. The hospital laboratory performs rapid organism identification with an existing platform (for example, MALDI-TOF or a molecular blood culture ID system) and needs rapid phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility results reported as minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to guide timely antimicrobial stewardship and targeted therapy. The laboratory uses the Accelerate PhenoTest® BC kit in the AST configuration to generate MIC values directly from the positive blood culture. The clinical workflow includes: initial blood culture incubation and detection, rapid organism identification on the existing ID system, performance of the Accelerate PhenoTest® BC kit AST run (reportable under CPT 0311U), verification of results by clinical microbiology staff, and timely electronic reporting of MICs to the treating clinical team for antibiotic selection. Typical site of service is an acute care hospital clinical laboratory or independent clinical laboratory performing inpatient infectious disease testing.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`87070`	Culture, bacterial, blood, isolation and presumptive identification of isolates	Performed when blood cultures are set up and isolates are recovered; precedes or runs in parallel with rapid ID and AST.
`87798`	Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (unlisted), multiplex or single-target (used historically for some rapid ID tests)	Represents molecular ID tests that may be used alongside `0311U` for organism identification prior to phenotypic AST reporting.
`87471`	Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (single target)	Used for targeted rapid identification assays that can complement MIC reporting from `0311U`.
`87075`	Culture, blood, identification, cultured isolate	Performed when conventional isolate identification is done; can be used when confirmatory culture-based methods are required in addition to rapid AST.
`99000`	Handling and/or conveyance of specimen (used historically; payer-specific)	Used in some workflows for special specimen handling fees when transporting positive blood culture material to a reference lab performing `0311U` if applicable.

Related Modifiers

5 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
26	Modifier 26 (Professional Component) identifies and bills only the professional portion of a split service — the physician’s interpretation, report, and medical judgment — when the technical…	- Use CPT Modifier -26 when you are billing only the professional component (PC) of a split‑bill eligible service—i.e., you performed the physician interpretation, medical judgment and prepared a…
78	CPT modifier -78 indicates an unplanned, related return to the operating or procedure room by the same provider during the global postoperative period. It is appended when treatment for a…	- Use modifier -78 when an unplanned, related complication during the original procedure’s global postoperative period requires the patient to return to a formal operating or procedure room and the…
82	Modifier 82 is appended to a surgical CPT code to indicate that an attending physician acted as an assistant because a qualified resident surgeon was unavailable. In teaching hospitals it documents…	- When to use: Append modifier 82 in teaching-hospital settings to indicate a physician served as an assistant surgeon because a qualified resident surgeon was unavailable (includes situations where…
90	Modifier ‑90 (Reference/Outside Laboratory) indicates that a laboratory test was performed by an entity other than the treating or reporting provider. The American Medical Association defines…	- Use CPT modifier -90 when a laboratory test is performed by an outside/reference laboratory (an entity other than the treating or reporting physician or qualified professional) and the claim needs…
2P	Modifier -2P is a Category II performance‑measure exclusion appended to a CPT Category II (quality) code when the provider did not perform the measured action because of patient‑related reasons (for…	- Use modifier 2P only with CPT Category II (performance‑measure) codes when a patient‑specific reason prevented performance of the measured action (for example, patient refusal, economic or social…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207L00000X	Anesthesiology Physician	An anesthesiologist is trained to provide pain relief and maintenance, or restoration, of a stable condition during and immediately following an opera…
207RP1001X	Pulmonary Disease Physician	An internist who treats diseases of the lungs and airways. The pulmonologist diagnoses and treats cancer, pneumonia, pleurisy, asthma, occupational an…
208D00000X	General Practice Physician	A physician who specializes in the general practice of diagnosing, treating, and managing patients with a variety of illnesses and conditions.
1835P1300X	Psychiatric Pharmacist	A licensed pharmacist who has demonstrated specialized knowledge and skill in optimizing care of patients with psychiatric illness by assessing and mo…
2080C0008X	Child Abuse Pediatrics Physician	A Child Abuse Pediatrician serves as a resource to children, families and communities by accurately diagnosing abuse; consulting with community agenci…
2255R0406X	Blind Rehabilitation Specialist/Technologist	Respiratory, Developmental, Rehabilitative and Restorative Service Providers · Specialist/Technologist
163WC2100X	Continence Care Registered Nurse	Nursing Service Providers · Registered Nurse
320800000X	Mental Illness Community Based Residential Treatment Facility	A home-like residential facility providing psychiatric treatment and psycho/social rehabilitative services to individuals diagnosed with mental illnes…

CPT 0001U: PreciseType HEA Erythrocyte Antigen Genotyping

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

CPT 0002U: PolypDX™ Urine Metabolomic Risk Assay

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

CPT 0003U: Overa (MIA2G) Ovarian Cancer Risk Assay

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

CPT 0005U: ExosomeDx Prostate (IntelliScore) urine gene expression 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 Gene Panel

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: 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 Transcripts

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

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`87070`	Culture, bacterial, blood, isolation and presumptive identification of isolates	Performed when blood cultures are set up and isolates are recovered; precedes or runs in parallel with rapid ID and AST.
`87798`	Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (unlisted), multiplex or single-target (used historically for some rapid ID tests)	Represents molecular ID tests that may be used alongside `0311U` for organism identification prior to phenotypic AST reporting.
`87471`	Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (single target)	Used for targeted rapid identification assays that can complement MIC reporting from `0311U`.
`87075`	Culture, blood, identification, cultured isolate	Performed when conventional isolate identification is done; can be used when confirmatory culture-based methods are required in addition to rapid AST.
`99000`	Handling and/or conveyance of specimen (used historically; payer-specific)	Used in some workflows for special specimen handling fees when transporting positive blood culture material to a reference lab performing `0311U` if applicable.

Related Modifiers

5 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
26	Modifier 26 (Professional Component) identifies and bills only the professional portion of a split service — the physician’s interpretation, report, and medical judgment — when the technical…	- Use CPT Modifier -26 when you are billing only the professional component (PC) of a split‑bill eligible service—i.e., you performed the physician interpretation, medical judgment and prepared a…
78	CPT modifier -78 indicates an unplanned, related return to the operating or procedure room by the same provider during the global postoperative period. It is appended when treatment for a…	- Use modifier -78 when an unplanned, related complication during the original procedure’s global postoperative period requires the patient to return to a formal operating or procedure room and the…
82	Modifier 82 is appended to a surgical CPT code to indicate that an attending physician acted as an assistant because a qualified resident surgeon was unavailable. In teaching hospitals it documents…	- When to use: Append modifier 82 in teaching-hospital settings to indicate a physician served as an assistant surgeon because a qualified resident surgeon was unavailable (includes situations where…
90	Modifier ‑90 (Reference/Outside Laboratory) indicates that a laboratory test was performed by an entity other than the treating or reporting provider. The American Medical Association defines…	- Use CPT modifier -90 when a laboratory test is performed by an outside/reference laboratory (an entity other than the treating or reporting physician or qualified professional) and the claim needs…
2P	Modifier -2P is a Category II performance‑measure exclusion appended to a CPT Category II (quality) code when the provider did not perform the measured action because of patient‑related reasons (for…	- Use modifier 2P only with CPT Category II (performance‑measure) codes when a patient‑specific reason prevented performance of the measured action (for example, patient refusal, economic or social…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207L00000X	Anesthesiology Physician	An anesthesiologist is trained to provide pain relief and maintenance, or restoration, of a stable condition during and immediately following an opera…
207RP1001X	Pulmonary Disease Physician	An internist who treats diseases of the lungs and airways. The pulmonologist diagnoses and treats cancer, pneumonia, pleurisy, asthma, occupational an…
208D00000X	General Practice Physician	A physician who specializes in the general practice of diagnosing, treating, and managing patients with a variety of illnesses and conditions.
1835P1300X	Psychiatric Pharmacist	A licensed pharmacist who has demonstrated specialized knowledge and skill in optimizing care of patients with psychiatric illness by assessing and mo…
2080C0008X	Child Abuse Pediatrics Physician	A Child Abuse Pediatrician serves as a resource to children, families and communities by accurately diagnosing abuse; consulting with community agenci…
2255R0406X	Blind Rehabilitation Specialist/Technologist	Respiratory, Developmental, Rehabilitative and Restorative Service Providers · Specialist/Technologist
163WC2100X	Continence Care Registered Nurse	Nursing Service Providers · Registered Nurse
320800000X	Mental Illness Community Based Residential Treatment Facility	A home-like residential facility providing psychiatric treatment and psycho/social rehabilitative services to individuals diagnosed with mental illnes…

CPT 0001U: PreciseType HEA Erythrocyte Antigen Genotyping

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

CPT 0002U: PolypDX™ Urine Metabolomic Risk Assay

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

CPT 0003U: Overa (MIA2G) Ovarian Cancer Risk Assay

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

CPT 0005U: ExosomeDx Prostate (IntelliScore) urine gene expression 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 Gene Panel

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: 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 Transcripts

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 0311U: Rapid Phenotypic AST (MIC) for Positive Blood Cultures

Sign up for cpt 0311U policy alerts

OpenPayer

CPT 0311U: Rapid Phenotypic AST (MIC) for Positive Blood Cultures

Sign up for cpt 0311U policy alerts

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

References

CPT 0311U: Rapid Phenotypic AST (MIC) for Positive Blood Cultures

Sign up for cpt 0311U policy alerts

CPT 0311U: Rapid Phenotypic AST (MIC) for Positive Blood Cultures

Sign up for cpt 0311U policy alerts

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

What test does CPT 0311U represent?

Where and how is the Accelerate PhenoTest® BC (0311U) typically used in clinical workflow?

Which other CPT codes are commonly associated with testing workflows that include 0311U?

Which billing modifiers are relevant when reporting CPT 0311U?

Which specialties and providers are most relevant to the interpretation and use of results reported under 0311U?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

What test does CPT 0311U represent?

Where and how is the Accelerate PhenoTest® BC (0311U) typically used in clinical workflow?

Which other CPT codes are commonly associated with testing workflows that include 0311U?

Which billing modifiers are relevant when reporting CPT 0311U?

Which specialties and providers are most relevant to the interpretation and use of results reported under 0311U?

References