CPT 87075: Anaerobic Culture and Organism Identification
CPT code 87075 denotes an anaerobic culture and identification service performed on non-blood clinical specimens. It captures the laboratory process of cultivating anaerobic bacteria from specimens (other than blood) and identifying any isolated organisms to at least the genus level. This code is important nationally because it standardizes reporting for a core microbiology service used in diagnosis and antimicrobial stewardship, and it influences billing, clinical workflows, and laboratory quality measurement.
Key payers covered in this review include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare. The overview outlines typical sites of service (clinical and hospital laboratories) and common clinical indications such as respiratory, skin and soft tissue, urinary, and other bacterial infections where anaerobes are suspected.
Readers will gain a concise understanding of what CPT code 87075 represents, how it relates to adjacent laboratory codes, and the clinical contexts that commonly drive its use. The publication also provides benchmarks, coding relationships, and policy-relevant considerations that inform billing accuracy and claims processing. Data not available in the input for other sections is noted where applicable.
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Billing Code Overview
CPT code 87075 describes an anaerobic culture performed by a laboratory analyst using material from any source except blood, with identification of any isolated bacteria to the least specific level (for example, genus).
Service type: Microbiology laboratory culture and organism identification (anaerobic)
Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory processing non-blood clinical specimens
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 42-year-old outpatient presents to the urgent care clinic with a painful, fluctuant right axillary skin lesion after minor trauma. The clinician performs incision and drainage, collects a wound swab and anaerobic transport media, and sends the specimen to the clinical laboratory for anaerobic culture and organism identification. The laboratory processes the specimen using anaerobic culture techniques, incubates on appropriate media, and reports growth and identification at the genus level or more specific when available. Results guide targeted antibiotic therapy in the context of diagnoses such as L02.91 (cutaneous abscess), suspected polymicrobial infections, or when anaerobic involvement is suspected in deep tissue or aspiration-related infections. Typical sites of service include outpatient clinics, urgent care centers, hospital outpatient laboratories, and reference clinical microbiology laboratories. The service type is a clinical microbiology laboratory procedure: an anaerobic culture with identification of isolated bacteria from non-blood sources.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when reporting only the professional interpretation component by a pathologist or laboratory professional, if applicable and payer allows. |
52 | Reduced services | Use when the culture or identification is partially performed or specimen is compromised and a reduced-service payment is appropriate. |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use when the culture process is intentionally discontinued for patient safety or specimen integrity before completion. |
59 | Distinct procedural service | Use to indicate a distinct service when multiple laboratory procedures are reported for the same patient and date and payer requires distinct coding. |
62 | Two surgeons | Rare for lab procedures; use if two qualified laboratory directors/surgeons share responsibility and payer guidance permits. |
76 | Repeat procedure by same provider | Data not available in the input. |
90 | Reference (outside) lab | Use when the specimen is forwarded to an outside/independent laboratory for testing. |
91 | Repeat clinical diagnostic laboratory test | Use when the identical culture/identification is repeated on the same specimen or patient for verification. |
QW | CLIA-waived test | Not typically applicable to anaerobic culture; include only if payer-specific rules identify a waived method. |
TC | Technical component | Use when reporting only the technical component (laboratory processing) separate from professional interpretation. |
XE | Separate encounter | Use when the service is performed in a separate encounter from other services by the same provider. |
XP | Separate practitioner | Use when different practitioners perform distinct parts of the testing services. |
XS | Separate structure | Use when the procedure is performed on a separate anatomic site. |
XU | Unusual non-overlapping service | Use when the laboratory service is distinct and not normally reported together with other services. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
291U00000X | Clinical Medical Laboratory | Laboratory technologists and clinical laboratory organizations performing microbiology testing. |
207ZP0102X | Pathology | Pathologists or clinical microbiology directors providing oversight and interpretation. |
207Q00000X | Family Medicine Physician | Ordering clinicians who collect specimens and correlate results with clinical care. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
J02.9 | Acute pharyngitis, unspecified | Throat specimens may be cultured when anaerobic organisms are suspected in deep tonsillar or peritonsillar infections. |
J18.9 | Pneumonia, unspecified organism | Respiratory specimens obtained after aspiration or lung abscess may require anaerobic culture and identification. |
L02.91 | Cutaneous abscess, unspecified | Common indication: wound or abscess specimens sent for anaerobic culture to identify causative bacteria for targeted therapy. |
N39.0 | Urinary tract infection, site not specified | Urine is rarely the source for anaerobic culture but may be relevant in complex polymicrobial genitourinary infections. |
A49.9 | Bacterial infection, unspecified | Generic diagnosis used when a bacterial infection is suspected and cultures, including anaerobic, are performed to identify pathogens. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
87073 | Culture bacteria anaerobic | Performs anaerobic culture setup; may be billed for initial culture processing complementary to identification. |
87076 | Culture anaerobe ident, each | Billed per organism when anaerobic isolates are identified to a more specific level; complements 87075 when multiple isolates are identified. |
87077 | Culture aerobic identify | Used when aerobic bacterial identification is performed alongside anaerobic culture for comprehensive workup. |
87081 | Culture screen only | Used when the laboratory performs screening cultures without full identification; may precede or substitute for 87075 depending on clinical need. |