Summary & Overview
CPT 86732: Serum Immunoassay for Antibodies to Mucorales
CPT code 86732 represents a laboratory immunoassay that detects serum antibodies to Mucorales, a group of fungi associated with invasive mucormycosis. As a specialized serologic test, it supports clinical diagnosis and epidemiologic assessment of fungal infections where direct culture or histopathology may be limited. Nationally, accurate coding for this test affects laboratory reporting, coverage adjudication, and clinical workflows for suspected invasive fungal disease.
Key payers in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Coverage policies and reimbursement practices vary across commercial plans and Medicare; the code is most relevant for hospital and reference laboratories, infectious disease clinicians, and laboratory billing teams.
Readers will find a concise overview of the code's clinical purpose, expected site of service, and the typical clinical context in which the test is ordered. The publication also summarizes payer coverage landscape and common billing modifiers associated with laboratory services. Where specific data points are unavailable in the input, the report notes that data are not available. This resource is intended to inform coding accuracy, billing documentation, and operational planning for labs performing specialized fungal serology.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 86732 describes an immunoassay performed by a laboratory analyst to detect antibodies to Mucorales in a patient's serum. This test evaluates the presence of host antibodies that indicate exposure to or immune response against fungi in the Mucorales order.
Service type: Laboratory — serologic immunoassay
Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory setting, including reference labs that perform specialized fungal serology.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A hospitalized patient with hematologic malignancy presents with fever, progressive sinusitis, and necrotic nasal tissue after prolonged neutropenia. The treating infectious disease specialist orders fungal serology to evaluate for invasive mucormycosis. A venous blood specimen is collected in the hospital laboratory; the lab analyst performs an immunoassay to detect serum antibodies to Mucorales (CPT 86732). Results are routed to the ordering clinician via the electronic medical record and inform antifungal selection and the need for surgical debridement. Typical site of service is a hospital outpatient or inpatient clinical laboratory/central lab aligned with an academic medical center or commercial reference laboratory. Workflow steps: order entry by clinician, specimen collection by nursing or phlebotomy, specimen accessioning and processing by laboratory staff, performance of the immunoassay by a clinical laboratory scientist, result verification by a laboratorian and release to the ordering provider.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when reporting only the professional interpretation component separate from the technical lab work. |
TC |