Summary & Overview
CPT 82240: Cholylglycine (Serum) Assay
CPT code 82240 represents a laboratory assay for cholylglycine, a glycine-conjugated bile acid measured most often in serum. This specialized biochemical test provides targeted information about bile acid composition and hepatic-enteric function, which can inform diagnosis and monitoring of hepatobiliary disorders and malabsorption. The code matters nationally because it denotes a distinct, reportable laboratory procedure used across clinical and hospital laboratories, with implications for laboratory billing, coverage policies, and clinical workflows.
Key payers discussed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context for the test, typical sites of service, and the range of payers commonly involved in coverage and reimbursement decisions. The publication also outlines what benchmarks and payment-related topics are relevant for stakeholders, including expected use cases, coding clarity, and where to look for payer-specific coverage rules.
This summary equips laboratory managers, billers, and policy analysts with the core facts about CPT code 82240, clarifies the clinical rationale for the assay, and identifies the payer landscape and topics to review when evaluating reimbursement and clinical utilization nationally.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 82240 measures the level of cholylglycine, a glycine conjugate of cholic acid, typically performed on serum specimens. Cholylglycine is a fractional component of total bile acids, compounds that act as detergents to solubilize dietary fats and are involved in intestinal fat absorption and enterohepatic circulation.
Service type: Clinical laboratory biochemical assay
Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory, outpatient phlebotomy collection site
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult presenting with signs of hepatobiliary dysfunction such as jaundice, unexplained pruritus, fatigue, or abnormal liver function tests (e.g., elevated alkaline phosphatase or direct bilirubin). The clinician orders a serum bile acid panel including measurement of cholylglycine (CPT 82240) to evaluate bile acid metabolism and hepatic excretory function. Blood is drawn in an outpatient laboratory or hospital clinical lab; the specimen is processed by a medical technologist and analyzed by a clinical chemist or laboratory analyst using appropriate biochemical assays. Results are reported to the ordering provider (often gastroenterology, hepatology, or primary care) and included in the patient’s chart to inform differential diagnosis (intrahepatic cholestasis, bile acid malabsorption, monitoring of certain liver diseases, or assessment of neonatal cholestasis in pediatric cases). Typical site of service: outpatient phlebotomy collection site, hospital clinical laboratory, or ambulatory surgical center laboratory performing clinical chemistry testing.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when billing only the professional interpretation component if the test has a distinct professional component. |