Summary & Overview
CPT 85345: Lee and White Clotting Time Test
CPT code 85345 represents the Lee and White clotting time test, a laboratory assay that measures the time it takes for a patient’s blood sample to form a clot using the Lee and White method. This historical coagulation test remains clinically relevant for assessing basic clotting function and for select diagnostic workflows in hematology and perioperative evaluation. Nationally, accurate coding of this laboratory service affects coverage determinations, claims adjudication, and payment for clinical laboratories and hospital labs.
Key payers included in the analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of clinical context for the assay, common sites of service where the test is performed, typical billing modifiers associated with laboratory services, and payer coverage considerations. The publication summarizes benchmark elements such as usual service settings and service classification, highlights policy and coding considerations affecting claim submission and reimbursement, and provides a concise reference for clinical and billing staff who manage laboratory claims.
Data not available in the input: specific payer policy details, fee benchmarks, associated taxonomies, and ICD-10 diagnoses.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 85345 describes a laboratory test using the Lee and White method to determine the time required for a blood sample to clot. This is a coagulation/clotting time test performed by a laboratory analyst.
Service Type: Laboratory diagnostic test (coagulation assay)
Typical Site of Service: Clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient scenario involves an adult or pediatric patient presenting for evaluation of hemostasis due to easy bruising, prolonged bleeding after minor procedures, preoperative screening for bleeding risk, or monitoring of suspected coagulopathy. A clinician (family medicine, emergency medicine, hematology, or preoperative clinic) orders a Lee and White clotting time test when initial history and exam suggest a primary hemostatic defect or when platelet function and intrinsic clot formation need simple, rapid assessment.
The clinical workflow: the phlebotomy team obtains a fresh whole blood sample drawn into a plain tube without anticoagulant or into a tube specified by the laboratory protocol. The laboratory analyst times the sample to observe and document the time to clot formation using the Lee and White method at room temperature, recording clotting times at set intervals. Results are reported back to the ordering provider for interpretation alongside other coagulation studies (e.g., platelet count, fibrinogen, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time). Typical turnaround is same-day; testing commonly occurs in outpatient laboratory, hospital clinical laboratory, emergency department, or preoperative testing facility.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when reporting only the professional component of laboratory testing when separated billing applies. |