Summary & Overview
CPT 83003: Human Growth Hormone Level, Serum
CPT code 83003 designates a laboratory assay for human growth hormone (HGH) measured in a serum specimen. This test is used clinically to evaluate growth concerns in children and adolescents and to investigate disorders of excess growth such as acromegaly. Nationwide, measurement of HGH is an important endocrine diagnostic tool that informs specialist care, treatment decisions, and longitudinal monitoring for pediatric endocrinology and adult hormone disorders.
Key payers covered in this review include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The analysis provides readers with an overview of how the code is used across care settings, typical sites of service, and the clinical contexts prompting orders for the test. It also summarizes available benchmarks and payment considerations where provided and highlights relevant coding context for laboratory billing teams.
Readers will learn the clinical purpose of CPT code 83003, the common service environments where the assay is performed, and the primary clinical indications driving use. Data availability and payer-specific coverage details are summarized where present. Data not available in the input is noted as such.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 83003 reports measurement of human growth hormone (HGH) levels, typically performed on a serum specimen. The test quantifies circulating growth hormone to evaluate growth disorders in children and adolescents and to assess conditions of excess growth such as acromegaly or gigantism.
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Service type: Clinical laboratory testing, endocrine assay
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Typical site of service: Hospital or independent clinical laboratory, outpatient phlebotomy or clinic collection
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 10-year-old child is referred to pediatric endocrinology for short stature and slowed linear growth. The clinician orders a serum human growth hormone test to assess endogenous growth hormone secretion as part of an initial endocrine evaluation. The patient presents to an outpatient laboratory at a pediatric clinic. A phlebotomist collects a fasting serum specimen per lab protocol and sends it to the hospital core laboratory. The laboratory analyst performs the quantitative assay for human growth hormone (83003) using an immunoassay platform. Results are reported to the ordering provider, who integrates the value with growth charts, IGF-1 levels, and clinical history to guide further testing (stimulation testing, imaging) or management.
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Service Type: Clinical laboratory quantitative immunoassay for human growth hormone.
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Typical Site of Service: Outpatient clinic laboratory, hospital core laboratory, or independent clinical laboratory.
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Typical Patient Scenario: Pediatric patient with growth delay, or an adult evaluated for suspected acromegaly; sample collection, lab processing, analytic measurement, result reporting, and clinician interpretation form the usual workflow.
Coding Specifications
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