Summary & Overview
CPT 80047: Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP) Blood Test
CPT code 80047 designates the Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP), a standard clinical laboratory chemistry panel measuring eight serum analytes—ionized calcium, sodium, potassium, chloride, carbon dioxide, glucose, BUN, and creatinine. The BMP is a widely used diagnostic test for assessing electrolyte balance, renal function, and metabolic status and is performed routinely in outpatient clinics, hospital laboratories, and emergency departments. Nationally, the BMP is a high-volume laboratory service with implications for acute care, chronic disease management, and perioperative assessment.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for CPT code 80047, payer coverage patterns, common billing and modifier considerations, and benchmarking information where available. The publication also summarizes typical sites of service and operational notes relevant to lab and hospital billing teams.
The report is intended to help billing managers, laboratory directors, and policy analysts understand the code’s clinical role, typical use cases, and the payer landscape at a national level. Data not available in the input are identified explicitly where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 80047 represents a Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP) blood test in which a laboratory analyst measures eight common serum electrolytes and metabolic substances: ionized calcium, sodium, potassium, chloride, carbon dioxide, glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine. The test provides a focused metabolic profile used to assess electrolyte balance, kidney function, and glucose status.
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Service type: Clinical laboratory diagnostic test (chemistry panel)
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Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or hospital outpatient laboratory, with specimens collected in ambulatory clinic or inpatient settings as appropriate.
Data not available in the input for associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, related codes, and specific payer reimbursement details.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 58-year-old male presents to the hospital’s outpatient laboratory after referral from his primary care clinician for routine monitoring of chronic conditions. The patient has a history of hypertension and chronic kidney disease stage 3 and is on an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. The clinician orders a basic metabolic panel to evaluate serum electrolytes, renal function, and glucose prior to medication adjustment.
Specimen collection is venous whole blood drawn into the appropriate tube by a phlebotomist. The sample is delivered to the clinical chemistry laboratory where a medical laboratory scientist (lab analyst) performs the 80047 Basic Metabolic Panel using automated chemistry analyzers. Results for sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate (reported as carbon dioxide), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, glucose, and calcium are verified, released to the electronic medical record, and reviewed by the ordering clinician for medication management and further testing if abnormal.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when only the professional interpretation/reporting component is billed separate from technical work (rare for automated BMP). |