CPT 86826: HLA Crossmatch by Non-Cytotoxic Method

CPT code 86826 describes a laboratory crossmatch performed between donor lymphocytes and a recipient serum sample or dilution after the initial specimen to assess human leukocyte antigen (HLA) compatibility using non-cytotoxic methods such as flow cytometry; service type: HLA compatibility testing / immunogenetics assay; typical site of service: clinical laboratory or hospital immunology lab.

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CPT 86826: HLA Crossmatch by Non-Cytotoxic Method

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is a 45-year-old individual awaiting allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for aplastic anemia. Pre-transplant compatibility testing is ordered by the transplant team. The clinical workflow begins when the donor and recipient blood specimens are collected in the transfusion/lab draw unit. The immunogenetics laboratory receives the recipient serum and donor lymphocyte sample. A laboratory analyst performs an HLA crossmatch using a non-cytotoxic method such as flow cytometry to detect anti-donor antibodies bound to donor lymphocytes. Results are reviewed by the immunogenetics supervisor and reported to the transplant physician and blood bank. If a positive crossmatch is identified, the transplant team and blood bank document incompatibility and consider alternate donor selection or desensitization protocols. If negative, compatibility is documented and used to proceed with transplant planning and final blood product selection. The typical site of service is an accredited hospital immunology/transfusion laboratory or reference immunogenetics laboratory supporting inpatient and outpatient transplant programs.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`86900`	Crossmatch; major and minor, serologic	Serologic crossmatch performed when cytotoxic or gel-based antibody detection is used; alternative/adjunct to flow crossmatch
`86850`	Tissue typing; HLA, low-resolution (e.g., serological typing)	Preceding or concurrent HLA typing to identify donor/recipient antigen profile prior to crossmatch
`86816`	HLA tissue typing; low to intermediate resolution, molecular typing	Molecular HLA typing often performed before or alongside crossmatch to determine allele-level compatibility
`86838`	Antibody detection by solid phase, each class of antibody (e.g., IgG, IgM)	Complementary testing to detect donor-specific antibodies in recipient serum that inform crossmatch interpretation
`88184`	Flow cytometry, cell cycle, DNA analysis (flow) — ancillary code often used for flow-based assays	Flow cytometry platform services and technical operations that may be billed in conjunction with flow crossmatch processes

Related Modifiers

5 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
26	Modifier 26 (Professional Component) identifies and bills only the professional portion of a split service — the physician’s interpretation, report, and medical judgment — when the technical…	- Use CPT Modifier -26 when you are billing only the professional component (PC) of a split‑bill eligible service—i.e., you performed the physician interpretation, medical judgment and prepared a…
59	Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…	- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
90	Modifier ‑90 (Reference/Outside Laboratory) indicates that a laboratory test was performed by an entity other than the treating or reporting provider. The American Medical Association defines…	- Use CPT modifier -90 when a laboratory test is performed by an outside/reference laboratory (an entity other than the treating or reporting physician or qualified professional) and the claim needs…
91	Modifier 91 — “Repeat Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Test” — is appended when the exact same CPT laboratory test is performed more than once for the same patient on the same day because serial,…	- Use modifier 91 when the exact same CPT laboratory test is performed more than once on the same patient on the same date because serial or repeated testing is medically necessary to monitor…
25	CPT modifier 25 indicates that on the same day as another procedure or service, the same physician or other qualified health care professional provided a significant, separately identifiable…	- When to apply: Use modifier 25 only on an E/M code to indicate the same provider delivered a significant, separately identifiable E/M service on the same day as another procedure or service — i.e.,…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207RG0100X	Gastroenterology Physician	An internist who specializes in diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the digestive organs including the stomach, bowels, liver and gallbladder. This…
207L00000X	Anesthesiology Physician	An anesthesiologist is trained to provide pain relief and maintenance, or restoration, of a stable condition during and immediately following an opera…
207LP2900X	Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician	An anesthesiologist who provides a high level of care, either as a primary physician or consultant, for patients experiencing problems with acute, chr…
207P00000X	Emergency Medicine Physician	An emergency physician focuses on the immediate decision making and action necessary to prevent death or any further disability both in the pre-hospit…
208D00000X	General Practice Physician	A physician who specializes in the general practice of diagnosing, treating, and managing patients with a variety of illnesses and conditions.
207RN0300X	Nephrology Physician	An internist who treats disorders of the kidney, high blood pressure, fluid and mineral balance and dialysis of body wastes when the kidneys do not fu…
172P00000X	Naprapath	Naprapathy means a branch of medicine that focuses on the evaluation and treatment of neuron-muscular conditions. Doctors of naprapathy are connectiv…
207XS0114X	Adult Reconstructive Orthopaedic Surgery Physician	Recognized by several state medical boards as a fellowship subspecialty program of orthopaedic surgery, adult reconstructive orthopaedic surgeons deal…

CPT 86805: Lymphocyte Crossmatch with Recipient Serum

CPT-86806-SEROLOGIC-CROSSMATCH-DONOR-LYMPHOCYTE-RECIPIENT-SERUM

CPT 86806: Lymphocyte Crossmatch, Donor Lymphocytes with Recipient Serum

CPT-86807-HLA-ANTIBODY-SCREENING-TRANSPLANT-COMPATIBILITY

CPT 86807: HLA Antibody Percent Reactive Screening

CPT-86808-HLA-PERCENT-REACTIVE-ANTIBODY-SCREENING

CPT 86808: HLA Percent Reactive Antibody Screen

CPT-86812-HLA-CLASS-I-SINGLE-ANTIGEN-SEROLOGIC-TEST

CPT 86812: HLA Class I Antigen Serologic Typing

CPT-86813-HLA-CLASS-I-SEROLOGIC-TYPING

CPT 86813: HLA Class I Serologic Typing (A, B, C)

CPT-86816-HLA-CLASS-II-SEROLOGIC-SINGLE-ANTIGEN-TYPING-DR-DQ

CPT 86816: HLA Class II Single Antigen Serology

CPT-86817-HLA-CLASS-II-DR-DQ-SEROLOGIC-IDENTIFICATION

CPT 86817: HLA Class II DR/DQ Serologic Typing

CPT-86821-HLA-LYMPHOCYTE-CROSSMATCH-COMPATIBILITY-TEST

CPT 86821: Lymphocyte Crossmatch for HLA Incompatibility

CPT-86825-HLA-CROSSMATCH-FLOW-CYTOMETRY

CPT 86825: HLA Crossmatch by Non-Cytotoxic Method

Showing 1–10 of 19

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`86900`	Crossmatch; major and minor, serologic	Serologic crossmatch performed when cytotoxic or gel-based antibody detection is used; alternative/adjunct to flow crossmatch
`86850`	Tissue typing; HLA, low-resolution (e.g., serological typing)	Preceding or concurrent HLA typing to identify donor/recipient antigen profile prior to crossmatch
`86816`	HLA tissue typing; low to intermediate resolution, molecular typing	Molecular HLA typing often performed before or alongside crossmatch to determine allele-level compatibility
`86838`	Antibody detection by solid phase, each class of antibody (e.g., IgG, IgM)	Complementary testing to detect donor-specific antibodies in recipient serum that inform crossmatch interpretation
`88184`	Flow cytometry, cell cycle, DNA analysis (flow) — ancillary code often used for flow-based assays	Flow cytometry platform services and technical operations that may be billed in conjunction with flow crossmatch processes

Related Modifiers

5 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
26	Modifier 26 (Professional Component) identifies and bills only the professional portion of a split service — the physician’s interpretation, report, and medical judgment — when the technical…	- Use CPT Modifier -26 when you are billing only the professional component (PC) of a split‑bill eligible service—i.e., you performed the physician interpretation, medical judgment and prepared a…
59	Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…	- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
90	Modifier ‑90 (Reference/Outside Laboratory) indicates that a laboratory test was performed by an entity other than the treating or reporting provider. The American Medical Association defines…	- Use CPT modifier -90 when a laboratory test is performed by an outside/reference laboratory (an entity other than the treating or reporting physician or qualified professional) and the claim needs…
91	Modifier 91 — “Repeat Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Test” — is appended when the exact same CPT laboratory test is performed more than once for the same patient on the same day because serial,…	- Use modifier 91 when the exact same CPT laboratory test is performed more than once on the same patient on the same date because serial or repeated testing is medically necessary to monitor…
25	CPT modifier 25 indicates that on the same day as another procedure or service, the same physician or other qualified health care professional provided a significant, separately identifiable…	- When to apply: Use modifier 25 only on an E/M code to indicate the same provider delivered a significant, separately identifiable E/M service on the same day as another procedure or service — i.e.,…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207RG0100X	Gastroenterology Physician	An internist who specializes in diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the digestive organs including the stomach, bowels, liver and gallbladder. This…
207L00000X	Anesthesiology Physician	An anesthesiologist is trained to provide pain relief and maintenance, or restoration, of a stable condition during and immediately following an opera…
207LP2900X	Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician	An anesthesiologist who provides a high level of care, either as a primary physician or consultant, for patients experiencing problems with acute, chr…
207P00000X	Emergency Medicine Physician	An emergency physician focuses on the immediate decision making and action necessary to prevent death or any further disability both in the pre-hospit…
208D00000X	General Practice Physician	A physician who specializes in the general practice of diagnosing, treating, and managing patients with a variety of illnesses and conditions.
207RN0300X	Nephrology Physician	An internist who treats disorders of the kidney, high blood pressure, fluid and mineral balance and dialysis of body wastes when the kidneys do not fu…
172P00000X	Naprapath	Naprapathy means a branch of medicine that focuses on the evaluation and treatment of neuron-muscular conditions. Doctors of naprapathy are connectiv…
207XS0114X	Adult Reconstructive Orthopaedic Surgery Physician	Recognized by several state medical boards as a fellowship subspecialty program of orthopaedic surgery, adult reconstructive orthopaedic surgeons deal…

CPT 86805: Lymphocyte Crossmatch with Recipient Serum

CPT-86806-SEROLOGIC-CROSSMATCH-DONOR-LYMPHOCYTE-RECIPIENT-SERUM

CPT 86806: Lymphocyte Crossmatch, Donor Lymphocytes with Recipient Serum

CPT-86807-HLA-ANTIBODY-SCREENING-TRANSPLANT-COMPATIBILITY

CPT 86807: HLA Antibody Percent Reactive Screening

CPT-86808-HLA-PERCENT-REACTIVE-ANTIBODY-SCREENING

CPT 86808: HLA Percent Reactive Antibody Screen

CPT-86812-HLA-CLASS-I-SINGLE-ANTIGEN-SEROLOGIC-TEST

CPT 86812: HLA Class I Antigen Serologic Typing

CPT-86813-HLA-CLASS-I-SEROLOGIC-TYPING

CPT 86813: HLA Class I Serologic Typing (A, B, C)

CPT-86816-HLA-CLASS-II-SEROLOGIC-SINGLE-ANTIGEN-TYPING-DR-DQ

CPT 86816: HLA Class II Single Antigen Serology

CPT-86817-HLA-CLASS-II-DR-DQ-SEROLOGIC-IDENTIFICATION

CPT 86817: HLA Class II DR/DQ Serologic Typing

CPT-86821-HLA-LYMPHOCYTE-CROSSMATCH-COMPATIBILITY-TEST

CPT 86821: Lymphocyte Crossmatch for HLA Incompatibility

CPT-86825-HLA-CROSSMATCH-FLOW-CYTOMETRY

CPT 86825: HLA Crossmatch by Non-Cytotoxic Method

Showing 1–10 of 19

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

OpenPayer

CPT 86826: HLA Crossmatch by Non-Cytotoxic Method

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CPT 86826: HLA Crossmatch by Non-Cytotoxic Method

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

References

CPT 86826: HLA Crossmatch by Non-Cytotoxic Method

Sign up for cpt 86826 policy alerts

CPT 86826: HLA Crossmatch by Non-Cytotoxic Method

Sign up for cpt 86826 policy alerts

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

What procedure and clinical purpose does CPT 86826 describe?

Where and how is the test described by 86826 typically performed?

Which billing modifiers are commonly used with CPT 86826 and when are they applied?

What related CPT codes might be billed alongside or in relation to 86826?

Which payers are referenced for coverage and are reimbursement rates provided?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

What procedure and clinical purpose does CPT 86826 describe?

Where and how is the test described by 86826 typically performed?

Which billing modifiers are commonly used with CPT 86826 and when are they applied?

What related CPT codes might be billed alongside or in relation to 86826?

Which payers are referenced for coverage and are reimbursement rates provided?

References