Summary & Overview
CPT 82746: Serum Folic Acid (Folate) Level, Quantitative
CPT code 82746 represents a quantitative laboratory measurement of serum folic acid (folate) used to identify folic acid deficiency. This test supports diagnosis and management of patients with malabsorption, inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and patients with prior bariatric surgery who are at risk for impaired folate absorption. As a common laboratory assay, it is relevant across outpatient clinics, hospital laboratories, and specialty gastroenterology and nutrition services nationwide.
Key payers referenced in the analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The publication outlines coverage and billing considerations relevant to these payers and summarizes national patterns in clinical utilization and coding practice. Readers will find a concise clinical context for 82746, typical sites of service, common billing modifiers (listed separately), and guidance on what information is and is not available from the input.
This summary provides benchmarks for typical use of the code, notes on clinical indications that drive ordering, and policy-relevant points that affect reimbursement and utilization monitoring. Data not available in the input are identified where applicable. The audience includes billing professionals, laboratory managers, clinical leaders, and policy analysts seeking a national overview of CPT code 82746.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 82746 reports a laboratory measurement of serum folic acid (folate) level. The test determines whether a patient has a folic acid deficiency, which can result from conditions that impair absorption such as malabsorption syndromes, Crohn’s disease, celiac sprue, or prior bariatric bypass procedures.
Service type: Clinical laboratory test — quantitative serum folate measurement.
Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or hospital outpatient laboratory; specimens are commonly collected in outpatient phlebotomy settings or inpatient hospital laboratories depending on clinical context.
Data not available in the input.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 58-year-old female with a history of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and chronic diarrhea presents to her primary care provider with progressive fatigue, pallor, and mild shortness of breath. The clinician documents concern for nutritional deficiency and orders laboratory evaluation, including measurement of serum folic acid level to evaluate for folate deficiency that may contribute to macrocytic or mixed anemia. The patient has blood drawn in the outpatient lab (phlebotomy) and the specimen is sent to the clinical chemistry laboratory. The laboratory analyst performs quantitative measurement of serum folic acid using an immunoassay or microbiologic assay. Results are reviewed by the ordering clinician and used alongside complete blood count, vitamin B12 level, and clinical history to determine if folic acid supplementation or further evaluation for malabsorption (for example, celiac disease or small bowel bacterial overgrowth) is indicated. Typical site of service: outpatient clinic or hospital outpatient laboratory. Service type: clinical laboratory test — quantitative serum folate measurement (82746).
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when reporting only the professional interpretation component separate from technical services (rare for routine lab tests). |