Summary & Overview
CPT 84378: Single Saccharide Measurement in Urine or Stool
CPT code 84378 denotes a laboratory assay that measures the amount of a single sugar (saccharide) in a patient specimen, most commonly urine or stool. This single-analyte test is reported for each specimen analyzed and supports diagnostic and monitoring activities in metabolic and gastrointestinal care. Nationally, the code matters because it is a discrete, specimen-specific laboratory charge that factors into outpatient and inpatient lab billing, utilization tracking, and laboratory service line planning.
Key payers addressed in typical coverage discussions include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of clinical context for the assay, common places of service where the test is performed, and a concise summary of billing characteristics tied to specimen-specific reporting. The publication also outlines expected uses of the code in laboratory workflows and what to expect in payer interactions and administrative processing.
This material provides clinicians, laboratory managers, and billing professionals with clarity on service definition, reporting conventions for each specimen, and the primary operational settings for CPT code 84378. Data not available in the input is noted where deeper benchmarking or payer-specific policy details would normally appear.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 84378 describes a laboratory assay in which a lab analyst measures the amount of a single sugar (single saccharide) in a patient specimen. The test is commonly performed on urine or stool specimens and is reported once for each specimen tested. This service is a clinical laboratory test used to quantify a specific saccharide to support diagnostic evaluation or monitoring of metabolic and gastrointestinal conditions.
Service Type: Clinical laboratory test
Typical Site of Service: Clinical laboratory, hospital laboratory, outpatient laboratory, or other sites that collect and process urine or stool specimens
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A patient presents to an outpatient laboratory or hospital clinical laboratory with symptoms suggesting a carbohydrate disorder, suspected glycosuria, or for routine screening. A common scenario is a diabetic patient with polyuria and polydipsia whose primary care clinician orders urinalysis and a specific quantitative single-saccharide assay to measure glucose concentration in the urine. The specimen (urine or, less commonly, stool) is collected per standard protocol, labeled, and transported to the central lab. A medical technologist or clinical laboratory scientist performs the single-sugar assay, documents the specimen accession number, analytical method, and result, and reports the value in the laboratory information system. Billing uses code 84378 reported once per specimen tested. Typical sites of service include outpatient hospital laboratories, independent reference laboratories, and ambulatory clinic laboratory draw stations. The workflow often follows sample receipt, verification, assay run, quality control checks, result validation, and electronic reporting to the ordering provider.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | When billing only for the professional interpretation portion by a physician or qualified practitioner, if applicable for interpretive tests |