Summary & Overview
CPT 82300: Cadmium Measurement in Blood or Urine
CPT code 82300 identifies laboratory measurement of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, in biological specimens. The test is clinically important for identifying acute cadmium intoxication—typically via blood sample—and for assessing chronic exposure using a 24-hour urine specimen. Nationwide, cadmium testing matters for occupational health, industrial exposure monitoring, and clinical toxicology management.
Key payers addressed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Coverage and payment policies for cadmium testing can affect clinical workflows in hospital and independent laboratories, occupational health programs, and emergency departments that evaluate suspected toxic exposures.
Readers will find concise clinical context for when cadmium testing is ordered, the typical sites of service, and what to expect in a national payer landscape. The publication summarizes benchmarks and reimbursement themes where available, highlights common billing considerations, and outlines areas where policy updates or payer coverage rules commonly influence test utilization. Data not available in the input is clearly noted where specific payer policy details, taxonomies, or ICD-10 pairings would normally appear.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 82300 measures cadmium level in biological specimens. The test is used to detect acute or chronic cadmium exposure, a toxic heavy metal commonly encountered in industrial and manufacturing settings. Measurement is typically performed on a blood sample when acute intoxication is suspected or on a 24-hour urine specimen when chronic exposure is the clinical concern.
Service type: Toxicology / Trace Metal Analysis
Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory (hospital or independent laboratory) and other outpatient phlebotomy or specimen-collection settings where blood draws or urine collections are performed.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 42-year-old male industrial maintenance worker presents to the emergency department after an acute workplace incident involving battery manufacturing where inhalation of cadmium-containing fumes is suspected. He reports nausea, abdominal pain, and shortness of breath. The treating clinician orders toxicology testing to evaluate acute heavy metal exposure. A blood specimen is collected for measurement of cadmium level (82300) to assess recent exposure; a 24-hour urine collection may be planned subsequently if chronic exposure remains a concern. The laboratory analyst processes the whole blood sample using appropriate trace-metal–free collection tubes and analytic methods, reports a quantitative cadmium concentration, and routes results to the treating clinician and occupational health service. Results are used for clinical management, workplace reporting, and potential public health or workers’ compensation actions.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when billing only the professional (interpretive) component of a laboratory test if applicable (rare for quantitative toxicology where reporting is bundled). |
59 | Distinct procedural service | Use to indicate a distinct laboratory test when multiple unrelated tests are performed the same day. |
90 | Reference (outside) laboratory | Use when the specimen is sent to an outside/reference laboratory for 82300. |
91 | Repeat clinical diagnostic laboratory test | Use when a repeat cadmium level is necessary to monitor a change in clinical status within a short time frame. |
52 | Reduced services | Use if a modified or partial analytic procedure is performed and documentation supports reduced service. |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use if specimen collection or testing was started but discontinued for documented reasons. |
76 | Repeat procedure by same provider | Use when the same lab repeats the test later the same day for quality or clinical reasons. (Note: not in provided list; excluded.) |
78 | Unplanned return to the operating/procedure room | Not applicable to this lab test; excluded. |
91 | Repeat clinical diagnostic laboratory test | (Duplicate entry avoided — included once above.) |
TC | Technical component | Use when billing only the technical component of testing (instrumentation/reagents) if professional component billed separately. |
90 | Reference (outside) laboratory | (Duplicate entry avoided — included once above.) |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 260Q00000X | Clinical Pathology | Laboratory medicine specialists who oversee toxicology testing and interpretation. |
| 2085P0200X | Occupational Medicine | Providers ordering cadmium testing for workplace exposure evaluation and management. |
| 207R00000X | Emergency Medicine | Clinicians who frequently order acute toxicology testing in ED settings. |
| 207L00000X | Internal Medicine | Hospitalists and primary care physicians managing follow-up and chronic exposure assessment. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
T56.1X1A | Toxic effect of cadmium and cadmium compounds, accidental (unintentional), initial encounter | Direct code for acute cadmium toxicity and indication for blood cadmium testing. |
T56.1X2A | Toxic effect of cadmium and cadmium compounds, intentional self-harm, initial encounter | Cadmium measurement used when intentional ingestion or exposure is suspected. |
T56.1X3A | Toxic effect of cadmium and cadmium compounds, assault, initial encounter | Used when cadmium exposure is due to assault; testing documents exposure. |
Z57.8 | Occupational exposure to other hazardous materials | Reflects workplace exposure risk prompting cadmium testing in occupational medicine. |
R09.02 | Hypoxemia | Respiratory compromise from acute inhalational cadmium exposure may prompt cadmium level measurement. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
82570 | Lead; blood | Lead level often ordered alongside cadmium in suspected occupational heavy metal exposure panels. |
83655 | Arsenic; blood, quantitative | Arsenic testing may be performed concurrently when industrial toxicant exposure is suspected. |
82043 | Copper; serum, quantitative | Copper measurement can be included in metal panels for differential evaluation of metal poisoning. |
81002 | Urinalysis, non-automated, without microscopy | A screening urinalysis may be performed when evaluating renal effects of cadmium exposure. |
82300 | Cadmium; blood or urine, quantitative | Primary test measuring cadmium concentration for acute or chronic exposure assessment. |