Summary & Overview

CPT 82965: Glutamate Dehydrogenase (GLDH) Measurement, Serum/Plasma

CPT code 82965 denotes a laboratory assay measuring glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) concentration in serum or plasma. GLDH is a mitochondrial enzyme expressed in liver, kidney, brain, and pancreas and is used clinically as a biomarker of hepatocellular injury. Nationally, this code represents a specialized enzymatic test that supports diagnosis and monitoring of liver disease and complements other hepatic panels.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of clinical context, typical sites of service, and payer coverage considerations. The publication outlines common billing modifiers associated with laboratory services, notes where data was not provided, and highlights how 82965 fits within laboratory service lines and utilization patterns.

This summary provides benchmarks for service availability, common billing practices, and policy-relevant notes affecting payment and coding consistency for GLDH testing. The content is intended for a national audience of coding professionals, laboratory managers, and policy analysts seeking concise guidance on the clinical role and billing context of CPT code 82965.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicare82965CPTlaboratoryglutamate-dehydrogenaseliver-enzymeserum-plasmaclinical-chemistryenzymatic-assay

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 82965 describes a laboratory measurement of glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) level, typically performed on serum or plasma. GLDH is an intracellular enzyme located primarily in the mitochondria and is expressed in the liver, kidney, brain, and pancreas, but not in muscle. Measurement of GLDH levels is used to assess hepatocellular injury and support clinical evaluation of liver-related conditions.

Service type: Clinical laboratory testing — enzymatic assay (serum/plasma)

Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory (blood draw performed in outpatient clinic, inpatient setting, or phlebotomy collection site)

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 56-year-old outpatient presents to a primary care clinic with new-onset jaundice and right upper quadrant discomfort. The clinician orders a liver panel and isolated enzyme testing to help differentiate hepatocellular injury from biliary obstruction. A phlebotomy technician draws a serum specimen and sends it to the hospital clinical chemistry laboratory. The laboratory analyst performs measurement of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activity using automated chemistry analyzers from the serum specimen. Results are reviewed by the laboratory director and transmitted to the ordering clinician through the electronic health record. Typical sites of service are hospital outpatient laboratory, independent clinical laboratory, and ambulatory clinic lab draw stations. The service is billed as a clinical laboratory test when reporting serum/plasma GDH activity for evaluation of liver-related enzyme patterns and metabolic assessment.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`11`	Normal, multiple or concurrent procedural service	Use when the laboratory service is the standard, primary service performed and reported without unusual circumstances.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use if the laboratory required substantially greater resources than usual (e.g., extensive troubleshooting, repeat runs beyond routine quality control).
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the professional interpretation or oversight portion of a test that has a split technical/professional component.
`TC`	Technical component	Use when reporting only the technical component of testing (instrumentation, reagents, specimen processing) without professional interpretation.
`90`	Reference (outside) laboratory	Use when the performing laboratory is different from the billing entity and the test was sent out to an external reference lab.
`91`	Repeat clinical diagnostic laboratory test (Note: not in provided list)	Data not available in the input.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the full service was not performed and a reduced-test performance is billed.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the specimen or analysis could not be completed and service was discontinued.
`78`	Unplanned return to the operating/procedural room by the same physician following initial procedure (Note: rarely applicable)	Use only in unusual interventional settings where lab testing is part of a procedural service requiring re-entry.
`90`	Reference laboratory (duplicate entry avoided)	Data not available in the input.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207RC0000X	Clinical Laboratory	Physicians or directors overseeing clinical laboratory services.
207RH0000X	Pathology	Pathologists who interpret clinical chemistry and consult on abnormal results.
364S00000X	Phlebotomist	Professionals who collect blood specimens for serum/plasma testing.
261QM0800X	Medical Laboratory Technologist/Technician	Analysts who perform and validate GDH assays.
207L00000X	Clinical Chemistry Specialist	Laboratory specialists focused on chemistry analytes and enzymology.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K76.9`	Liver disease, unspecified	GDH may be measured as part of an evaluation for unexplained liver enzyme abnormalities.
`K75.9`	Inflammatory liver disease, unspecified	Used when investigating possible hepatocellular inflammation where enzyme patterns including GDH are informative.
`R17`	Unspecified jaundice	GDH is among enzymes evaluated when assessing causes of jaundice.
`K74.60`	Unspecified cirrhosis of liver without ascites	Enzyme panels including GDH can be part of monitoring chronic liver disease.
`E78.5`	Hyperlipidemia, unspecified	Metabolic evaluations that include GDH testing may occur in patients with metabolic syndrome and dyslipidemia.
`E11.9`	Type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications	Diabetes is frequently present in patients undergoing broader metabolic and hepatic evaluations that include GDH.
`K82.9`	Disease of gallbladder, unspecified	GDH measured in the context of differentiating biliary vs. hepatocellular causes of abnormal liver tests.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`80053`	Comprehensive metabolic panel	Often ordered alongside GDH measurement to assess multiple serum chemistries and liver function.
`84460`	Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)	Commonly obtained with GDH to help differentiate hepatic vs. non-hepatic sources of transaminase elevation.
`84450`	Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)	Typically ordered with GDH and AST to evaluate hepatocellular injury.
`83036`	Hemoglobin A1c	May be ordered concurrently in metabolic evaluations where liver enzyme abnormalities are assessed in the context of diabetes/metabolic syndrome.
`80061`	Lipid panel	Frequently obtained in ambulatory evaluations during broader metabolic workup accompanying liver enzyme testing.