Summary & Overview
CPT 82495: Blood Chromium Level, Quantitative
CPT code 82495 denotes a quantitative laboratory assay for chromium in a blood specimen, used to evaluate suspected chromium poisoning or deficiency. The test has clinical importance because chromium status impacts insulin action and lipid and carbohydrate metabolism; abnormal results can influence diagnosis and management of metabolic disorders and toxic exposures. Nationally, this code is relevant for clinical laboratories, hospitals, occupational health, and specialty clinics managing metabolic or toxicologic conditions.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the code’s clinical context, typical sites of service, and the types of payers that cover this laboratory service. The publication outlines common billing considerations, frequent modifiers associated with laboratory services, and related operational notes for claims processing. It also summarizes benchmarks and policy contexts where available and notes when input data are not provided.
This summary is intended for national audiences including billing professionals, laboratory managers, clinicians ordering chromium testing, and payers seeking clarity on service classification and clinical rationale.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 82495 measures the chromium level in a patient blood specimen to evaluate for chromium poisoning or deficiency. Chromium is an essential nutrient that influences carbohydrate, fat, insulin, and protein metabolism. Abnormal chromium levels can affect blood glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol, and are relevant to metabolic and toxicologic evaluation.
Service type: Laboratory quantitative analysis
Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory; specimen collected in an outpatient clinic or inpatient setting as clinically indicated.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 48-year-old patient with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes and worsening hyperglycemia presents for evaluation of metabolic contributors. The primary care clinician orders a serum chromium level (82495) to assess for trace element deficiency that can exacerbate insulin resistance. The clinical workflow: the clinician documents symptoms (e.g., fatigue, unexplained hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia) and relevant history (dietary intake, occupational exposure to industrial chromium). A phlebotomy draw is performed in an outpatient laboratory or hospital clinical lab; the specimen is processed by the clinical chemistry or toxicology laboratory using atomic absorption spectroscopy or mass spectrometry as appropriate. Results are reported to the ordering clinician, who integrates the value with glucose and lipid panels to determine if nutritional counseling, supplementation, or environmental exposure evaluation is indicated. Typical sites of service include outpatient laboratory draw stations, hospital inpatient laboratory services, and ambulatory clinic laboratories. The typical patient scenario includes patients with unexplained hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, occupational exposure suspicion, or monitoring after treatment for chromium poisoning.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when billing only the professional interpretation component if applicable for laboratory consultation or interpretation services separate from the technical test. |
TC | Technical component | Use when billing only the technical component for the laboratory performing the specimen analysis. |
90 | Reference (outside) laboratory | Use when the test is performed by an outside laboratory and results are forwarded by the billing provider. |
91 | Repeat clinical diagnostic laboratory test | Use when the same test is repeated on the same day to obtain multiple results for comparison. |
52 | Reduced services | Use when the specimen or testing performed is partially completed and less than the full service is provided. |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use when the specimen collection or testing was started but discontinued for clinical reasons. |
59 | Data not provided in input | Data not available in the input. |
90 | Reference (outside) laboratory | Data not available in the input. |
91 | Repeat clinical diagnostic laboratory test | Data not available in the input. |
QX | Ordering/servicing provider certified nurse-midwife, clinical nurse specialist, or nurse practitioner | Use when an accredited non-physician practitioner orders or performs the specimen collection consistent with payer rules. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 207Q00000X | Clinical Pathology | Laboratory physicians (pathologists) oversee testing protocols and validation. |
| 207LP2900X | Clinical Laboratory | Clinical laboratory scientists and managers perform the assay and quality control. |
| 207RM1200X | Toxicology | Clinical toxicologists consult on interpretation for chromium poisoning. |
| 207RC0000X | Chemical Pathology | Specialists in chemical analysis and trace elements interpret results. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
E11.9 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications | Chromium deficiency can worsen insulin resistance and glycemic control. |
E78.5 | Hyperlipidemia, unspecified | Low chromium levels are associated with adverse lipid profiles that increase cardiovascular risk. |
T56.3X1A | Toxic effect of chromium, accidental (initial encounter) | Direct indication to measure blood chromium for suspected chromium poisoning. |
Z57.8 | Occupational exposure to other hazards | Use when occupational exposure to chromium is suspected and testing is indicated. |
E66.9 | Obesity, unspecified | Obesity-associated insulin resistance may prompt evaluation for micronutrient contributors including chromium. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
36415 | Collection of venous blood by venipuncture | Blood draw required to obtain the specimen for 82495. |
80053 | Comprehensive metabolic panel | Provides complementary metabolic data (glucose, electrolytes, liver/renal function) used alongside chromium level. |
83036 | Hemoglobin; glycosylated (A1c) | Commonly ordered with chromium testing to assess glycemic control in patients with suspected chromium deficiency. |
84478 | Test for insulin or C-peptide (immunoassay) | May be ordered to evaluate insulin function when chromium-related insulin resistance is suspected. |
80307 | Toxicology, heavy metals panel | Broader testing for multiple metals when occupational or environmental exposure to chromium is suspected. |