Summary & Overview
CPT 82160: Androsterone Hormone Metabolite Assay
CPT code 82160 identifies an androsterone assay, a clinical laboratory test that measures a steroid hormone metabolite once used to evaluate androgenic excess. Although largely supplanted by more specific and sensitive assays, the code remains relevant for historical records, legacy testing requests, and certain clinical scenarios where androsterone measurement is still performed. Nationally, this code is part of the broader endocrine and clinical chemistry testing landscape and factors into laboratory billing, coding consistency, and coverage determinations.
Key payers addressed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the code's clinical context, expected service setting, and the implications for billing and coverage workflows. The publication summarizes available benchmarks and policy-relevant considerations, highlights that newer tests have largely replaced androsterone measurement, and outlines the operational impacts for laboratories and billing teams. Where specific payer policies, reimbursement benchmarks, or related taxonomy and diagnosis mappings are required, the report indicates whether that information is available or not.
This summary is written for a national audience of clinicians, laboratory administrators, coding professionals, and payers seeking a clear briefing on the clinical role and billing considerations associated with CPT code 82160.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 82160 describes a laboratory test for androsterone, a steroid hormone metabolite historically used to evaluate androgenic hormone excess. The assay is a clinical chemistry/endocrinology diagnostic test used to measure levels of androsterone in biological specimens.
Service type: Hormone metabolite assay / clinical laboratory testing
Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or hospital outpatient laboratory
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Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult referred to an outpatient endocrinology or clinical laboratory service for evaluation of suspected androgen excess or metabolism disorders. The clinician orders 82160 when historical test panels or archived laboratory protocols require measurement of androsterone as part of a steroid metabolite profile; in contemporary practice androsterone is infrequently ordered alone and is often part of a broader urine or serum steroid panel. The workflow begins with the ordering clinician documenting clinical indications (for example hirsutism, virilization, unexplained menstrual irregularity, adrenal or gonadal tumor surveillance, or part of forensic/toxicology evaluation). A phlebotomy or urine collection is scheduled at an ambulatory laboratory or hospital outpatient phlebotomy station. The specimen is labeled and transported to the laboratory; testing is performed by the clinical chemistry or endocrinology laboratory using appropriate analytic methods. Results are reported to the ordering provider, who integrates them with clinical findings and other androgen assays to guide diagnosis or surveillance decisions.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00 | No modifier | Used when no additional modifier is required for the laboratory charge |
| 11 | Office or Other Outpatient Service | Applied when the service is performed in an office or outpatient setting if payer requires this modifier for place-of-service clarification
| 26 | Professional Component | Used when billing for the professional interpretation component separate from technical testing, if applicable
| 52 | Reduced Services | Use when testing is performed but a reduced service or limited panel is provided
| 90 | Reference (Outside) Laboratory | Applied when the test is sent to an outside reference laboratory for performance
| TC | Technical Component | Used when billing only the technical component (laboratory performance) and a separate professional component is billed by another entity
| AS | Physician Assistant, Nurse Practitioner, or Clinical Nurse Specialist Services for Medicare Part B | If applicable for the ordering or specimen-collection service in certain payor contexts
| QX | Service Provided by an Assistants-at-Surgery (Certified) | Rarely applicable; included when an approved auxiliary provides a billable portion of the service per payer rules
| QY | Service Provided by an In-Office Ancillary Personnel | Use when in-office ancillary staff perform specimen collection or point-of-care aspects per payer rules
| 90 | Reference (Outside) Laboratory | (Duplicate in list above; included here only once)
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 207RH0000X | Endocrinology | Physicians specializing in hormonal disorders ordering and interpreting steroid metabolite testing |
| 207K00000X | Obstetrics & Gynecology | Gynecologists evaluating menstrual irregularities, hirsutism, or virilization
| 207L00000X | Urology | Urologists evaluating male reproductive endocrine disorders or tumor surveillance
| 208M00000X | Pathology & Clinical Laboratory | Pathologists and clinical laboratorians performing and reporting the assay
| 363L00000X | Nurse Practitioner | Advanced practice providers who frequently order and coordinate testing
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
E28.2 | Polycystic ovarian syndrome | PCOS is a common indication for androgen evaluation including steroid metabolites when assessing hyperandrogenism |
| E29.1 | Testicular hypofunction | Androgen metabolite testing can be part of evaluation of androgen production in men
| E24.0 | Pituitary-dependent Cushing syndrome | Steroid metabolite profiles help evaluate adrenal axis disorders and differentiate sources of excess steroids
| R68.89 | Other general symptoms and signs | Non-specific symptoms like hirsutism, virilization, or unexplained weight changes may prompt steroid metabolite testing
| D35.00 | Benign neoplasm of pituitary gland | Tumor surveillance or diagnostic workup may include steroid metabolite assays when endocrine effects are suspected
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
80053 | Comprehensive metabolic panel; includes multiple chemistry tests | May be ordered concurrently for baseline metabolic assessment when evaluating endocrine disorders |
| 84403 | Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) | Often ordered as part of endocrine evaluation to rule out thyroid causes of symptoms such as fatigue or menstrual changes
| 84155 | Testosterone; total | Commonly ordered alongside androsterone when assessing androgen status in men and women
| 82570 | Creatinine; measured | Often ordered to assess renal function prior to certain assays or when interpreting urine steroid metabolites
| 80320 | Assay of steroids and metabolites, each by immunoassay | Related laboratory methods; part of steroid panel testing pathways where androsterone may appear