CPT 87073: Anaerobic Culture, Non-Urine/Blood/Stool
CPT code 87073 represents an anaerobic culture of clinical material from sources other than urine, blood, or stool, with presumptive identification and quantitation of clinically significant bacteria. This laboratory diagnostic microbiology code matters nationally because anaerobic organisms can drive complex infections, influence antimicrobial selection, and affect hospital length of stay and infection control practices. Accurate coding ensures clinical clarity and appropriate laboratory billing.
Key payers referenced in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of the clinical context for anaerobic cultures, common sites of service, and typical laboratory workflows tied to this code. The publication also summarizes benchmark considerations and recent policy updates affecting laboratory billing for microbiology services at a national level.
This summary equips laboratory managers, coding professionals, and policy analysts with a concise reference to the service represented by CPT code 87073, the relevance to patient care pathways, and the payer landscape addressed in the full publication. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable in detailed sections.
Sign up for cpt 87073 policy alerts
Get alerted when payer policies referencing 87073 are released or updated.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 87073 describes an anaerobic culture performed by a laboratory analyst using clinical material from any source except urine, blood, or stool. The procedure includes presumptive identification and quantitation of clinically significant isolated bacteria, supporting diagnosis and guiding antimicrobial therapy.
Service Type: Laboratory diagnostic microbiology service
Typical Site of Service: Clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory; specimens originate from non-urine, non-blood, non-stool sources such as wound, tissue, respiratory, or surgical site specimens.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 56-year-old patient presents to the outpatient wound clinic with a non-healing deep soft-tissue abscess of the lower leg after a traumatic laceration. The clinician obtains a deep wound aspiration sample and sends it to the microbiology laboratory for anaerobic culture because the wound is foul-smelling and there is concern for mixed anaerobic and aerobic infection. In the clinical workflow the specimen is collected at the ambulatory site, transported to the hospital microbiology lab under anaerobic conditions, logged by the lab accessioning team, plated to appropriate anaerobic media, incubated in an anaerobic environment, and examined by a microbiology technologist or laboratory analyst. The laboratory performs growth assessment, presumptive identification and quantitative reporting of clinically significant anaerobic isolates; results are reported to the ordering provider and documented in the electronic medical record to guide targeted antibiotic therapy and potential surgical management. Typical site of service: hospital outpatient laboratory or independent clinical laboratory. Service type: microbiology laboratory diagnostic procedure — anaerobic culture of non-urine, non-blood, non-stool specimen (87073).
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when reporting only the professional component of the test (interpretation) separated from the technical component. |
TC | Technical component | Use when reporting only the technical component (laboratory processing and supplies) of the test. |
90 | Reference (outside) laboratory | Use when the testing was performed by an outside reference laboratory. |
91 | Repeat clinical diagnostic laboratory test | Use when a repeat test on the same specimen or patient is performed and repeat reporting is required. |
59 | Distinct procedural service | Use when an unrelated procedure or service is performed on the same day and needs to be indicated as distinct. |
52 | Reduced services | Use when the service was partially reduced or not fully performed. |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use when the procedure was started but discontinued before completion. |
76 | Repeat procedure by same physician | Use when the same service is repeated by the same provider (note: 76 is not in the provided list; Data not available in the input. ) |
78 | Unplanned return to OR for related procedure during global period | Use when an unplanned return to the operating room occurs for a related procedure — rarely applicable to standalone laboratory codes but may be appended in bundled operative encounters. |
62 | Two surgeons | Use when two surgeons are involved in a related surgical encounter where specimens were obtained separately and coding needs to reflect co-surgeon involvement. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 207RH0000X | Pathology | Clinical pathologists oversee and interpret microbiology testing and result reporting. |
| 207LP2900X | Laboratory Director | Laboratory medicine specialists/directors responsible for laboratory operations and test validation. |
| 208000000X | Infectious Disease | Infectious disease physicians frequently order and interpret anaerobic cultures for complex infections. |
| 2086S0128X | General Surgery | Surgeons commonly obtain deep wound and abscess specimens that require anaerobic culture. |
| 207K00000X | Clinical Microbiology | Microbiologists and medical technologists perform the culture, identification, and quantitation steps. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
L02.91 | Cutaneous abscess, unspecified site | Common source of deep wound specimens sent for anaerobic culture when purulent material is obtained. |
L08.9 | Local infection of skin and subcutaneous tissue, unspecified | Represents cellulitis or local soft tissue infection where anaerobic organisms may be present. |
T81.4XXA | Infection following a procedure, initial encounter | Post-procedural wound infections often require anaerobic culture to identify causative organisms. |
K65.0 | Acute peritonitis | Intra-abdominal infections commonly involve anaerobes; specimens from peritoneal fluid may be cultured anaerobically. |
J85.1 | Abscess of lung and mediastinum | Pulmonary abscesses can contain anaerobic flora; aspirates may be submitted for 87073 when stool, blood and urine are excluded. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
87070 | Culture, bacterial; quantitative colony count, aerobic | Performed when aerobic organisms are suspected in wound or tissue specimens; often run in parallel with anaerobic cultures to provide complete bacterial profile. |
87075 | Culture, bacterial; anaerobic isolate, identification | Performed when an isolated anaerobic organism requires additional confirmatory identification methods beyond presumptive ID — follows initial 87073 growth and presumptive reporting. |
87205 | Direct smears, Gram or fluorescent stain, including interpretation; bacteria | A Gram stain is commonly performed on the specimen prior to culture to provide immediate information about organism morphology and guide initial therapy. |
87081 | Culture, bacterial; urine, quantitative, colony count | Not for this specimen type, listed here as a commonly used culture code for urinary testing when urine is the specimen; distinct from 87073 which excludes urine. |
87481 | Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid; Clostridium difficile, single step | Molecular testing codes may be used subsequently when specific anaerobic pathogens require rapid, targeted detection beyond culture for clinical management. |