CPT 82542: Column Chromatography for Nondrug Analyte Testing
Commercial payers pay $41 on average nationally for this procedure.
CPT code 82542 describes a laboratory technical procedure in which the lab analyst evaluates a specimen for the presence or quantity of a nondrug analyte using column chromatography, often with mass spectrometry confirmation; this is a clinical laboratory test typically performed in a clinical laboratory or reference lab setting for diagnostic or monitoring purposes.
For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Salivary Hormone Testing, Parathyroid Hormone, Phosphorus, Calcium, and Magnesium Testing, Bone Turnover Markers Testing.
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National Reimbursement Benchmarks
National commercial reimbursement for CPT 82542 centers around BUCA’s mean of $40.8 as an average-commercial benchmark, with Blue Cross Blue Shield showing the highest mean ($55.8) and Aetna, Cigna, and UnitedHealth Group clustered lower in the $19–$23 range. Blue Cross Blue Shield’s distribution also reaches the highest observed maximum ($158.5), while Aetna and UnitedHealth Group report lower observed minima ($3.6 and $10.0, respectively), reflecting a wide top-end spread for some payers but a mid-market anchored near BUCA’s average.
Dispersion measured by the interquartile range (P75–P25) is widest for Blue Cross Blue Shield at $32.1 (P75 $66.5 minus P25 $43.4) and narrowest for UnitedHealth Group at $13.0 (P75 $24.1 minus P25 $10.1). Cigna’s IQR is $18.6, Aetna’s is $9.0, and BUCA’s IQR is $19.0; these comparisons indicate that Blue Cross Blue Shield exhibits the greatest variability in commercial rates while UnitedHealth Group is the tightest.