Summary & Overview
CPT 0880T: Chest CT Interpretation and Report for Interstitial Lung Disease
CPT code 0880T designates a physician or qualified healthcare professional’s preparation of an interpretation and report derived from a specialized program’s analysis of chest CT imaging to classify interstitial lung disease. This code captures an advanced diagnostic interpretation tied to image-analysis software and formal reporting, reflecting a growing role for quantitative imaging and computational tools in pulmonary diagnostics. Nationally, the code matters because it documents use of specialized analytic services that may affect clinical decision-making, care coordination, and payer coverage determinations for complex pulmonary conditions.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of service context, typical sites of care, and common modifiers. The publication summarizes benchmarks where available, highlights clinical context for use in interstitial lung disease evaluation, and outlines implications for coding and billing workflows. It also identifies gaps in available input data and directs readers to where to find payer-specific coverage policies and reimbursement guidance. Data not available in the input is noted where relevant.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 0880T describes a service in which a physician or other qualified healthcare professional prepares an interpretation and report based on a specialized program’s analysis of chest computed tomography imaging aimed at classifying interstitial lung disease. The service is an image-interpretation and diagnostic classification task that supports evaluation of diffuse parenchymal lung disease.
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Service type: Diagnostic imaging interpretation and specialized analytic reporting
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Typical site of service: Outpatient imaging centers or hospital outpatient departments where chest CT imaging and advanced image analysis are performed
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 64-year-old patient with progressive dyspnea, nonproductive cough, and inspiratory crackles on exam is referred to a pulmonologist after an abnormal chest CT suggestive of interstitial lung disease (ILD). The treating physician orders a high-resolution chest CT with volumetric thin-slice acquisition. The imaging is processed through a specialized quantitative analysis program designed to classify ILD patterns (for example, usual interstitial pneumonia versus nonspecific interstitial pneumonia) and to quantify extent and severity of fibrosis. The interpreting physician reviews the original CT images, the program’s outputs, and clinical data (history of connective tissue disease, occupational exposures, pulmonary function tests), generates a structured interpretation and classification report, and documents the findings in the medical record.
Typical workflow steps:
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The patient presents to an outpatient radiology or pulmonary clinic for CT imaging and clinical evaluation.
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Imaging is performed in the radiology department or ambulatory imaging center (typical site of service: outpatient imaging center or hospital outpatient radiology).
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A specialized software program processes CT data to generate quantitative analysis for ILD classification.
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The physician or qualified healthcare professional reviews images and software analysis, integrates clinical information, and prepares a written interpretation and report (
0880T). -
The report is routed to the referring pulmonologist and included in the patient’s chart to guide diagnosis, staging, and management decisions such as need for multidisciplinary ILD conference, antifibrotic therapy, or further tissue diagnosis.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when work required to prepare the interpretation and report is substantially greater than typically required (e.g., unusually complex analysis, extensive correlation with clinical data). |
52 | Reduced services | Use when the service was partially reduced or not completed as originally planned (e.g., limited image set prevented full program analysis). |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use when the procedure was started but terminated due to patient instability or other immediate clinical reasons before completion of imaging/analysis. |
78 | Unplanned return to the operating/procedure room by the same physician following initial procedure for a related procedure during the postoperative period | Rarely used for this code; use only if a subsequent unplanned procedural intervention related to the initial imaging/analysis occurs during the global period. |
26 | Professional component | Use when billing only the professional interpretation component separate from technical imaging services. |
TC | Technical component | Use when billing only the technical component (imaging acquisition/software processing) separate from professional interpretation. |
59 | Distinct procedural service | Use when a separate and distinct imaging analysis/report is performed that is not part of another service on the same day. |
91 | Repeat clinical diagnostic laboratory test | Not typically applicable to imaging; include only if repeat quantitative analysis is performed and payor requires this modifier for repeat reporting. |
LT | Left side | Not applicable to chest imaging; listed for completeness but generally not used. |
RT | Right side | Not applicable to chest imaging; listed for completeness but generally not used. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2084P0800X | Pulmonology | Pulmonologists commonly order and interpret ILD-classification imaging in conjunction with radiology and ILD clinics. |
| 2085R0200X | Thoracic Radiology (Radiology - Diagnostic) | Thoracic radiologists frequently perform image review and generate detailed CT interpretations and quantitative reports. |
| 2086S0105X | Diagnostic Radiology | General diagnostic radiologists at centers with ILD programs may prepare the interpretation and report. |
| 363A00000X | Clinical Pathology/Multidisciplinary ILD Program | Specialists coordinating multidisciplinary ILD evaluation (program directors) may be responsible for reporting and classification in ILD centers. |
| 207RP1001X | Internal Medicine | Pulmonary subspecialists within internal medicine practices participate in ordering and integrating these reports. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
J84.10 | Pulmonary fibrosis, unspecified | Represents fibrotic interstitial lung disease commonly evaluated and classified by CT-based quantitative analysis. |
J84.112 | Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis | A primary target diagnosis for CT pattern classification and quantification to guide management and therapy decisions. |
J84.89 | Other specified interstitial pulmonary diseases | Covers a range of interstitial lung diseases where programmatic CT classification aids differential diagnosis. |
M32.9 | Systemic lupus erythematosus, unspecified | Connective tissue disease-associated ILD is commonly evaluated with CT classification when pulmonary involvement is suspected. |
M34.81 | Systemic sclerosis with pulmonary involvement | Scleroderma-associated ILD is a frequent indication for specialized CT analysis to stage extent of fibrosis and progression. |
J67.9 | Hypersensitivity pneumonitis, unspecified | CT classification helps distinguish hypersensitivity pneumonitis patterns from other fibrotic ILDs. |
R06.02 | Shortness of breath, chronic | A common presenting symptom prompting imaging and ILD classification when persistent and unexplained. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
71250 | CT chest without contrast material | Often performed as the initial imaging acquisition that provides the raw data for the specialized ILD program analysis. |
71260 | CT chest with contrast material | Performed when additional vascular or mediastinal evaluation is required alongside ILD assessment; contrast-enhanced data may be processed separately. |
71270 | CT chest with and without contrast material | Used when both noncontrast and contrast phases are obtained; the noncontrast series typically supplies high-resolution data for ILD classification. |
71275 | CT chest, low-dose for lung cancer screening | Not routinely used for ILD classification; listed when low-dose protocols are employed but may limit quantitative analysis accuracy. |
77470 | Radiation treatment management (example unrelated) | Data not directly related; included only if radiation planning intersects with chest imaging — otherwise not typically paired with ILD classification. |
Note: Related CPT code selection is focused on CT chest acquisition codes that provide the imaging input for the specialized program whose interpretation and report are billed under 0880T.