Summary & Overview

CPT 82715: Quantitative Fecal Fat Analysis

CPT code 82715 represents a quantitative fecal fat analysis that separates and measures neutral and nonessential fecal fats to assist clinicians in diagnosing steatorrhea and underlying malabsorption disorders. This laboratory diagnostic procedure is used nationally to inform the clinical differentiation between intestinal versus pancreatic causes of fat malabsorption and can affect downstream diagnostic and treatment pathways.

Key payers commonly involved in coverage decisions include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the clinical role of the test, typical sites of service, and the payer landscape addressed in this publication. The report summarizes benchmarks where available, clarifies coding context and common modifiers, and outlines clinical implications for interpreting fecal fat composition.

This summary is intended for clinicians, laboratory managers, and billing professionals seeking a national-level briefing on CPT code 82715, its clinical rationale, and the payer context relevant to billing and utilization decisions.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicare82715CPTfecal fat analysisstool testlaboratory diagnosticssteatorrheamalabsorptionpancreatic insufficiencyclinical pathology

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 82715 describes a laboratory test that measures and differentiates fecal fat to help determine the origin of steatorrhea. The analysis quantifies total fecal fat and distinguishes between neutral fat and nonessential fat, providing diagnostic information about malabsorption or pancreatic exocrine dysfunction.

Service Type: Laboratory diagnostic test — quantitative fecal fat analysis

Typical Site of Service: Clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 45-year-old patient presents to a gastroenterology clinic with chronic oily, foul-smelling stools, unintended weight loss, and postprandial abdominal discomfort. The clinician suspects malabsorption or pancreatic exocrine insufficiency and orders quantitative fecal fat analysis to differentiate neutral (triglyceride) versus split/nonessential fats and to measure total fecal fat over a 72-hour collection. The typical workflow: the clinician provides stool collection instructions and a standardized high-fat diet or records dietary intake for the collection period; the patient submits timed stool samples to the outpatient laboratory or hospital clinical chemistry/laboratory medicine department; a laboratory technologist performs gross and chemical processing, measures total fat and performs differentiation assays; the laboratory analyst interprets the pattern (high neutral fat suggesting pancreatic insufficiency versus high nonesterified fatty acids suggesting small-bowel mucosal disease) and reports results to the ordering clinician for correlation with imaging, stool elastase, and nutritional assessment.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`11`	Normal, standard service	Use when the service is provided under usual circumstances without unusual effort or complexity.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when laboratory processing required significantly greater effort or time beyond typical due to specimen complexity or additional analyses.
`26`	Professional component	Use if reporting the professional interpretation component separately when applicable.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when specimen quantity or test performance is reduced and full service is not performed.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if the specimen could not be processed and the test was discontinued for clinical or safety reasons.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Note: `59` is not in the provided list; do not use.
`78`	Unplanned return to operating/procedure room	Rarely applicable; not typically used for this lab assay.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Not applicable to laboratory testing; included in source modifiers but generally not used.
`90`	Reference (outside) laboratory	Use when the analytic testing is performed by an outside independent reference lab and billing requires identifying that arrangement.
`TC`	Technical component	Use when billing only the laboratory technical component (equipment, technician time) separately from professional interpretation.
`QK`	Qualified nonphysician performing PQRS related services	Use when applicable to nonphysician lab professionals performing certain reportable quality services.
`QX`	CRNA service with medical direction	Not applicable to this lab test but listed among source modifiers.
`QY`	Medical direction of one CRNA by a physician	Not applicable to this lab test but listed among source modifiers.
`U1`	State or payer-specific modifier (example)	Use when a payer requires a specific modifier designated as `U1` for local reporting or tracking.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2080P0105X	Clinical Pathology	Pathologists and clinical laboratory directors who oversee fecal fat analysis and interpretation.
207RP0000X	Gastroenterology	Gastroenterologists who order testing to evaluate malabsorption and steatorrhea.
364S00000X	Laboratory Technician	Medical laboratory scientists/technologists who perform the analytic testing and differentiation assays.
207K00000X	Pediatrics	Pediatric gastroenterologists when fecal fat testing is performed in children with failure to thrive or chronic diarrhea.
208000000X	Anatomic and Clinical Pathology	Laboratories with combined anatomic and clinical pathology oversight that may perform and interpret results.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K86.81`	Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI)	EPI often causes steatorrhea; quantitative fecal fat helps confirm fat malabsorption consistent with pancreatic causes.
`K90.0`	Celiac disease	Small intestinal mucosal disease such as celiac disease leads to fat malabsorption and elevated fecal fat.
`K92.1`	Melena	Represents gastrointestinal bleeding; included when stool abnormalities prompt broader stool testing including fecal fat in differential.
`R19.7`	Diarrhea, unspecified	Chronic diarrhea is a common presenting symptom leading to fecal fat testing to evaluate malabsorption.
`E86.0`	Dehydration	May be a clinical consequence of chronic steatorrhea and malabsorption; relevant to overall management and workup.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`82715`	Quantitative fecal fat; total (e.g., 72 hour) and qualitative differentiation of neutral and split fats	This is the primary code describing measurement and differentiation of fecal fat to determine origin of steatorrhea.
`82770`	Fecal fat, qualitative (e.g., Sudan stain)	Often performed as an initial screening test; qualitative stains may precede or accompany quantitative `82715` testing.
`83986`	Bile acids, serum or fecal	Performed when bile acid malabsorption or ileal dysfunction is suspected as a cause of fat malabsorption.
`82634`	Pancreatic elastase, fecal	Used to evaluate exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in patients with abnormal quantitative fecal fat results.
`81002`	Urinalysis, non-automated, without microscopy	Frequently part of broader laboratory workup but not directly related; included as common ancillary test in GI workups.