Summary & Overview
CPT 82360: Chemical Analysis of Urinary/Renal Calculus
CPT code 82360 represents a laboratory service that provides a quantitative chemical analysis of urinary or renal calculi to determine precise stone composition. This testing has clinical importance for guiding metabolic evaluation and recurrence prevention strategies for patients with nephrolithiasis, and it factors into laboratory billing and coverage decisions nationally. Common analytes reported include calcium, oxalate, phosphate, urate, cystine, magnesium, and carbonate, with calcium oxalate being the most frequent constituent. Key payers addressed in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.
Readers will find an executive overview of the clinical purpose of stone composition testing, typical sites of service, and relevant billing context for CPT code 82360. The publication summarizes payer coverage patterns and benchmarks where available, highlights policy and coding considerations that influence reimbursement, and situates the CPT code within clinical workflows for laboratory diagnostics. The content is intended for billing professionals, laboratory managers, and clinicians who need a concise yet comprehensive reference on CPT code 82360 and its role in the diagnostic evaluation of urinary stones. Data not available in the input is noted in the appropriate sections.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 82360 describes a chemical analysis of urinary or renal calculus (stone) to determine its quantitative chemical composition. The analysis identifies components such as calcium, carbonate, cystine, magnesium, oxalate, phosphates, and urates, with calcium oxalate commonly predominant.
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Service type: Laboratory diagnostic analysis (quantitative stone composition testing)
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Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory where stone specimens are analyzed for composition
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 48-year-old patient presents to a urology clinic with recurrent flank pain and a history of renal calculi. Imaging (non-contrast CT or ultrasound) identifies a renal stone that was subsequently removed intact via ureteroscopy and basket extraction. The removed calculus is submitted to the hospital laboratory for stone composition analysis. The lab analyst performs a quantitative chemical analysis to determine the relative amounts of calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, uric acid, cystine, magnesium, and other constituents. Results are used by the treating urologist and nephrologist to guide metabolic evaluation and stone prevention strategies. Typical workflow: specimen receipt and accessioning, gross description and weighing, chemical dissolution or spectroscopic assay, result interpretation, and reporting in the electronic medical record. Typical site of service: hospital clinical laboratory or independent reference laboratory associated with outpatient urology or inpatient surgical services.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when reporting only the physician or professional interpretation portion if the professional component is billable separately for a laboratory-based consult (rare for this code). |
52 |