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. |