Summary & Overview

CPT 83785: Quantitative Manganese Measurement in Patient Specimen

CPT code 83785 represents a quantitative laboratory measurement of manganese in a patient specimen, an elemental test used to assess nutritional status, potential toxicity, or exposure. As a specialized trace metal analysis, this code is relevant to clinical toxicology, nutritional medicine, occupational health, and certain metabolic workups nationwide. The test is performed in clinical or hospital laboratories and informs diagnosis and management when manganese imbalance is suspected.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the clinical context for manganese testing, typical sites of service, common billing modifiers associated with laboratory services, and where available, benchmarking and policy considerations relevant to reimbursement and coverage determination. The publication also outlines coding relationships and data availability; where specific payer policies, coverage edits, or utilization trends are not provided, the text notes that data are not available in the input.

This summary is intended for national audiences including billing professionals, laboratory managers, and policy analysts seeking a clear description of what CPT code 83785 covers, why the test is ordered clinically, and which major payers are commonly involved in coverage decisions.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicare83785CPTLaboratoryTrace MetalManganeseToxicologyClinical TestingHospital Lab

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 83785 describes a laboratory test in which a clinical laboratory analyst measures the amount of manganese in a patient specimen. This test evaluates an essential nutrient and trace element level, commonly ordered when there is clinical concern for manganese deficiency, toxicity, or to support evaluation of metabolic, nutritional, or occupational exposure issues.

Service type: Clinical laboratory test, quantitative elemental/trace metal analysis
Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory setting

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is an adult referred by primary care or occupational medicine for laboratory assessment of trace metal status due to symptoms such as unexplained fatigue, peripheral neuropathy, cognitive changes, or after occupational exposure to welding or battery manufacturing. A serum or whole blood specimen is collected using trace-metal–free tubes; the specimen is labeled and sent to the clinical chemistry/toxicology laboratory. In the lab, an experienced medical technologist or clinical chemist performs quantitative measurement of manganese (83785) using methods such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or atomic absorption spectrometry. Results are reviewed by the laboratory director and reported to the ordering clinician. Typical sites of service include outpatient phlebotomy centers, hospital laboratories, occupational health clinics, and reference laboratories. The workflow includes pre-analytic verification of specimen integrity, instrument calibration with appropriate standards, analytic run with controls, result validation, and generation of a report that states the concentration and reference range with interpretive comments as needed.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the professional (interpretation) portion provided by the pathologist or laboratory director separate from the technical test.
`TC`	Technical component	Use when billing only the technical component (laboratory instrumentation, reagents, personnel) of the test.
`90`	Reference (outside) laboratory	Use when the performing laboratory is an outside reference lab and the submitting facility is billing on behalf of the client.
`91`	Repeat clinical diagnostic laboratory test	Not in provided list; omitted.
`52`	Reduced services	Use if the test was partially performed or limited in scope compared with standard procedure.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if specimen could not be analyzed because of an event that prevented completion (e.g., sample lost or grossly hemolyzed) and service was discontinued.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Not in provided list; omitted.
`90`	Duplicate entry avoided above in selection.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207Q00000X	Clinical Pathology	Pathologists and clinical laboratory directors who interpret and oversee trace metal testing.
3336A0002X	Clinical Laboratory	Clinical laboratory scientists/medical technologists who perform the analytic testing.
208000000X	Occupational Medicine	Physicians ordering manganese testing for workplace exposure and occupational health follow-up.
207L00000X	Anatomic and Clinical Pathology	Pathology specialists who may supervise and validate test results.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`T57.0X1A`	Toxic effect of manganese, accidental (unintentional), initial encounter	Direct indication for manganese testing after suspected toxic exposure.
`T57.0X5A`	Toxic effect of manganese, undetermined, initial encounter	Used when exposure intent is unclear and measurement is needed for assessment.
`G62.0`	Alcoholic polyneuropathy	Neuropathy evaluation may include trace metal testing in differential diagnosis.
`G21.1`	Secondary parkinsonism due to manganese	Manganese neurotoxicity can produce parkinsonian features; level measurement supports diagnosis.
`R53.83`	Other fatigue	Non-specific symptom prompting evaluation including nutritional and trace metal assessment.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`36415`	Collection of venous blood by venipuncture	Pre-analytic specimen collection required for manganese measurement.
`82310`	Iron; total, serum or plasma	Common adjunct trace metal or iron status tests ordered in differential evaluation of fatigue or anemia.
`83520`	Lead assay; blood	Often ordered concurrently in occupational exposure panels with manganese when metal exposure is suspected.
`83800`	Arsenic; quantitative, urine or blood	Frequently included in multi-metal exposure testing panels alongside manganese.
`86141`	Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) by immunoassay	Example of other laboratory tests that may be ordered in differential diagnosis when neurologic symptoms are present.