CPT 81379 HLA High-Resolution: Reimbursement | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 81379: High-Resolution HLA Class I Typing

Headline: CPT code 81379 defines high-resolution molecular testing for HLA Class I loci — a key component of transplantation compatibility and immunogenetics.

Lead: CPT code 81379 represents allele-level, high-resolution laboratory testing of human leukocyte antigen Class I genes (HLA–A, HLA–B, HLA–C). This specialized molecular assay matters nationally because HLA matching affects organ and stem cell transplant outcomes, donor selection, and certain immunologic evaluations.

Why it matters: High-resolution HLA typing informs transplant compatibility and post-transplant immune monitoring. As precision medicine and transplant volumes evolve, access to and coverage of allele-level HLA testing remain important for clinical decision-making and payer policy development.

Key payers covered: Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.

What readers will learn: This publication provides benchmarks and a concise policy and clinical context for CPT code 81379, including typical sites of service and the clinical role of Class I HLA high-resolution typing. It outlines payer coverage landscape at a national level, common coding considerations, and operational implications for laboratory services. Data not available in the input will be noted where applicable.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicare81379CPTHLA typingmolecular diagnosticstransplantationlaboratoryimmunogeneticshigh-resolution typing

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 81379 describes a high-resolution molecular laboratory test that assesses human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes for all Class I loci. The test includes analysis of Class I loci HLA–A, HLA–B, and HLA–C using molecular techniques to provide allele-level (high-resolution) typing.

Service type: High-resolution molecular HLA Class I typing (laboratory technical component)
Typical site of service: Clinical molecular laboratory or hospital laboratory performing specialized genetic testing

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 34-year-old patient with end-stage renal disease is evaluated for kidney transplantation. The transplant team orders high-resolution HLA Class I typing to determine donor-recipient compatibility. A peripheral blood sample is collected in the clinic and sent to the molecular diagnostics laboratory. The lab analyst performs 81379 to generate high-resolution sequence-based typing for HLA–A, –B, and –C loci. Results are integrated into the transplant compatibility report, used alongside HLA Class II typing, crossmatch results, and antibody screening to guide donor selection and immunologic risk assessment. Typical workflow: sample collection → accessioning → DNA extraction → PCR amplification and sequencing/molecular analysis → allele assignment and reporting. Typical site of service: outpatient clinic, hospital-based blood draw area, or specialized molecular diagnostics laboratory.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the professional interpretation/reporting portion separate from the technical lab work.
`TC`	Technical component

CPT 81378: High-Resolution HLA Class I and II Molecular Typing

CPT-81372-HLA-CLASS-I-LOW-INTERMEDIATE-RESOLUTION-TYPING

CPT 81372: HLA Class I Low/Intermediate-Resolution Molecular Typing

CPT-81371-HLA-A-B-DRB1-LOW-INTERMEDIATE-RESOLUTION-TYPING

CPT 81371: HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-DRB1 Low/Intermediate Resolution Typing

CPT-81376-HLA-CLASS-II-TYPING-LOW-INTERMEDIATE-RESOLUTION-TECHNICAL

CPT 81376: HLA Class II Typing, Low/Intermediate-Resolution Technical

CPT-81370-HLA-CLASS-I-II-LOW-INTERMEDIATE-RESOLUTION-TESTING

CPT 81370: HLA Class I and II Low/Intermediate-Resolution Molecular Typing

CPT-81375-HLA-CLASS-II-LOW-INTERMEDIATE-RESOLUTION-TYPING

CPT 81375: HLA Class II Low/Intermediate-Resolution Molecular Typing

CPT-81377-HLA-CLASS-II-ALLELE-GROUP-TYPING-LOW-INTERMEDIATE-RESOLUTION

CPT 81377: HLA Class II Allele Group Typing, Low/Intermediate Resolution

CPT-81380-HLA-HIGH-RESOLUTION-CLASS-I-TYPING

CPT 81380: High-Resolution HLA Class I Molecular Typing

CPT-81382-HLA-HIGH-RESOLUTION-CLASS-II-TECHNICAL

CPT 81382: HLA High-Resolution Molecular Typing, One Class II Locus

CPT-81374-HLA-CLASS-I-LOW-INTERMEDIATE-RESOLUTION

CPT 81374: HLA Class I Low/Intermediate-Resolution Testing

Showing 1–10 of 13

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207Q00000X`	Clinical Molecular Genetics Laboratory	Labs performing high-resolution HLA molecular testing.
`207L00000X`	Pathology and Laboratory Medicine	Pathology departments that oversee molecular diagnostic testing.
`2080P0208X`	Transplant Surgery	Clinicians ordering HLA testing for donor/recipient matching.
`208000000X`	Nephrology	Common ordering specialty for kidney transplant candidates.
`207LP2900X`	Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory	Specialized molecular diagnostics labs conducting sequence-based HLA typing.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`Z94.0`	Kidney transplant status	Indicates a transplant candidate or recipient where HLA Class I typing guides donor-recipient matching and post-transplant monitoring.
`Z48.21`	Encounter for aftercare following kidney transplant	Post-transplant patients undergo HLA testing for surveillance and assessment of compatibility in re-transplant or immunologic evaluation.
`N18.6`	End stage renal disease	ESRD patients are frequent candidates for kidney transplantation and require HLA typing during evaluation.
`Z85.3`	Personal history of malignant neoplasm of kidney	Patients with prior nephrectomy for malignancy undergoing transplant evaluation may require HLA testing as part of pre-transplant workup.
`D47.Z9`	Myelodysplastic syndromes, unspecified	Hematologic patients considered for stem cell transplant require high-resolution HLA typing for donor selection.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`81379`	HLA class I high-resolution molecular typing of loci A, B, C	Primary procedure for high-resolution Class I HLA typing.
`81275`	HLA typing, class II; DRB1 and DRB3/4/5 (sequence-based typing)	Often performed alongside Class I typing to complete donor-recipient HLA profile.
`86840`	HLA tissue typing; complement-dependent cytotoxicity crossmatch	Related pre-transplant compatibility testing; functional crossmatch complements molecular typing.
`86880`	Flow cytometry crossmatch	Performed before transplantation to detect donor-specific antibodies complementary to molecular HLA results.
`86355`	Immunoassay for antibody detection (e.g., Luminex single antigen)	Used to identify anti-HLA antibodies that inform interpretation of high-resolution typing.

OpenPayer