Summary & Overview
CPT 82373: Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin (CDT) Assay
CPT code 82373 designates the laboratory assay for carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), a clinical chemistry biomarker most frequently used to identify chronic heavy alcohol consumption. This test has national relevance for addiction medicine, occupational health, pre‑treatment assessments, and monitoring in recovery programs, and it also intersects with hepatology because non‑alcoholic conditions such as chronic liver disease and congenital glycosylation disorders can elevate CDT levels.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of clinical indications and limitations of the assay, typical sites of service, commonly billed service lines, and expected billing context for laboratories and hospital outpatient departments. The publication summarizes common modifiers and payer considerations where available; if specific payer policy details are not included, the entry notes that data are not available in the input.
This summary provides clinicians, lab directors, and revenue cycle professionals with concise context about when CPT code 82373 is used, the conditions that can affect test interpretation, and what to expect in terms of service setting and clinical relevance, enabling better documentation and coding alignment at a national level.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 82373 measures carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), a biomarker most commonly used as an indicator of chronic alcohol abuse. The test quantifies abnormal transferrin isoforms that rise with sustained heavy alcohol consumption, though elevations can also occur with chronic liver disease and congenital disorders of glycosylation.
Service type: Laboratory test — clinical chemistry / biomarker assay.
Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or hospital outpatient laboratory where blood specimens are processed and analyzed.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 45-year-old male presents to an outpatient laboratory at a community hospital after referral from his primary care physician for assessment of suspected chronic alcohol misuse. The clinician documents a history of escalating alcohol consumption, fatigue, and abnormal liver function tests. A blood specimen is collected by a phlebotomist and sent to the hospital clinical chemistry lab for measurement of carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT) using an established immunoassay. The laboratory analyst performs the assay, records the numeric result and reference range, and releases a report to the ordering provider. Results are used in conjunction with history, liver tests, and other biomarkers (for example gamma-glutamyl transferase) to assess chronic heavy alcohol use, while acknowledging that chronic liver disease and congenital glycosylation disorders can also elevate CDT. Typical sites of service include outpatient hospital laboratories, independent clinical reference laboratories, and inpatient hospital laboratories when monitoring hospitalized patients with suspected alcohol-related liver disease.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when only the professional interpretation or report of the laboratory result is billed separately from the technical component. |
TC |