Summary & Overview
CPT 82075: Quantitative Breath Alcohol Analysis
CPT code 82075 represents a laboratory test for the quantitative measurement of alcohol in a patient’s breath and its correlation to blood alcohol concentration. Nationally, this code is used in clinical and legal contexts to document intoxication, monitor sobriety, and support diagnosis and treatment decisions in emergency, inpatient, and outpatient care. It also factors into public safety and forensic workflows.
Key payers in the national analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the code’s clinical purpose, typical sites of service, and common billing contexts. The publication summarizes reimbursement benchmarks where available, explains relevant billing and documentation considerations, and outlines clinical context for use of a quantitative breath alcohol analysis. Where specific payer policy details are not provided, the text notes that data are not available in the input.
This summary provides clinicians, coders, and administrators with a clear description of what CPT code 82075 represents, why it matters in patient care and compliance settings, and what types of information are typically included in payer and facility billing guidance.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 82075 describes a laboratory procedure in which a lab analyst performs the technical test to measure the quantitative amount of alcohol in a patient’s breath and correlates that measurement to blood alcohol concentration (BAC). This service is a toxicology/clinical laboratory test that produces an objective, quantitative BAC result from a breath sample.
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Service type: Clinical laboratory toxicology test (quantitative breath alcohol analysis)
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Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory setting where trained laboratory personnel perform breath alcohol analysis using approved instrumentation.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient scenario involves an adult brought to an emergency department by law enforcement after a traffic stop for suspected impairment. The patient is conscious but reports recent alcohol consumption. The treating clinician orders a breath alcohol analysis to quantify blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for clinical management and for legal documentation. The clinical workflow: upon order, a trained technician or laboratory analyst collects a breath sample using a calibrated evidentiary or screening breathalyzer device. The device performs the technical analysis to determine the quantitative amount of alcohol in breath, and the laboratory analyst correlates the measured breath alcohol concentration to an estimated BAC, documents the numeric result, device serial number, calibration status, time of collection, and the analyst who performed the test. Results are reported to the ordering clinician and entered into the medical record and, when required, into law-enforcement or occupational health reporting systems. Typical site of service is an emergency department, outpatient urgent care, occupational health clinic, or forensic laboratory. Service type is a laboratory/diagnostic breath alcohol analysis performed by a lab analyst or qualified technician.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when reporting only the professional (interpretive) component if separated from the technical component |