CPT 87088: Urine Culture Presumptive Organism Identification

CPT code 87088 describes the laboratory observation and presumptive identification of an unknown organism or organisms from a urine culture, performed by a lab analyst or microbiologist; service type: microbiology culture interpretation and organism identification; typical site of service: clinical laboratory or hospital microbiology lab.

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CPT 87088: Urine Culture Presumptive Organism Identification

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Sign up for cpt 87088 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 87088 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical adult outpatient urine culture returns growth of an organism that is not readily identified by automated systems. A patient presents to a primary care clinic with dysuria, frequency, and low-grade fever. A clean-catch urine specimen is collected and sent to the clinical microbiology laboratory. After plating and incubation, colony morphology and preliminary biochemical or microscopic observations are performed by a laboratory technologist or microbiologist. When organisms are unknown or mixed and require a presumptive identification prior to or instead of definitive identification methods, the laboratory analyst observes the culture and records presumptive identifications, organism characteristics, and initial susceptibilities if indicated, generating a report for the ordering clinician. Typical sites of service include hospital clinical laboratories, independent reference laboratories, and ambulatory laboratory facilities. The service is performed by trained laboratory personnel and documented in the microbiology record with organism description, Gram stain results, and presumptive identification steps.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`87070`	Culture, bacterial; any other source except urine, blood or stool, aerobic, with isolation and presumptive identification of isolates	Performed for non-urine specimens and shares similar workflow for organism isolation and presumptive ID; used when urine is not the specimen.
`87086`	Culture, bacterial; urine, with isolation and presumptive identification of isolates	Often performed alongside or as an alternative to observation-based presumptive ID when full isolation and presumptive ID is billed for urine cultures.
`87088`	Observation, urine culture with unknown organism(s) and presumptive identification	The primary procedure described; used when a lab analyst observes and records presumptive IDs of unknown urinary organisms.
`87186`	Identification by molecular methods, each organism identified	May follow or replace presumptive identification when molecular methods are used for definitive organism identification.
`87181`	Identification, bacterial, biochemical or enzyme-based methods, each isolate	Used after isolation when biochemical testing is performed to identify organisms beyond presumptive observations.

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…
76	Modifier -76, Repeat Procedure or Service by Same Physician or Other Qualified Health Care Professional, is appended when the same provider performs an identical, medically necessary procedure or…	- Use modifier -76 when the same physician or other qualified health care professional performs an identical procedure or service a second (or subsequent) time on the same date of service and the…
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…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
103K00000X	Behavior Analyst	A behavior analyst is qualified by at least a master's degree and Behavior Analyst Certification Board certification and/or a state-issued credential …
213E00000X	Podiatrist	A podiatrist is a person qualified by a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.) degree, licensed by the state, and practicing within the scope of that l…
207K00000X	Allergy & Immunology Physician	An allergist-immunologist is trained in evaluation, physical and laboratory diagnosis, and management of disorders involving the immune system. Select…
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…
174400000X	Specialist	An individual educated and trained in an applied knowledge discipline used in the performance of work at a level requiring knowledge and skills beyond…
207XS0106X	Orthopaedic Hand Surgery Physician	An orthopaedic surgeon trained in the investigation, preservation and restoration by medical, surgical and rehabilitative means of all structures of t…
156FX1202X	Optometric Technician	An optometric technician assists optometrists by performing duties, including but not limited to, basic eye testing, diagnostic tests, and assistance …
1835P1400X	Pain Management Pharmacist	A licensed pharmacist who has demonstrated specialized knowledge and skills, providing integrated, comprehensive, and accessible healthcare services t…

Related Payer Policy Updates

Specialty: Infectious Disease1 / 3

10 rows

Policy	Payer	Effective Date
B-Hemolytic Streptococcus Testing	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) — Coverage Criteria for Testing and Resistance Assays	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Hepatitis Testing (A, B, C, D) Coverage Criteria	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Pathogen Panel Testing	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Lyme Disease Testing Coverage Criteria	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Diagnostic Testing of Common Sexually Transmitted Infections	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Testing for Diagnosis of Active or Latent Tuberculosis	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Coronavirus Testing in the Outpatient Setting	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Testing for Vector-Borne Infections	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)	blue cross blue shield - louisiana	2026-09-15

CPT 87086: Urine Culture with Quantitative Colony Count

CPT-87040-BLOOD-CULTURE-ISOLATION-PRESUMPTIVE-IDENTIFICATION

CPT 87040: Blood Bacterial Culture with Isolation and Presumptive ID

CPT-87045-AEROBIC-BACTERIAL-STOOL-CULTURE-SALMONELLA-SHIGELLA

CPT 87045: Aerobic Bacterial Stool Culture for Salmonella/Shigella

CPT-87046-AEROBIC-BACTERIAL-STOOL-CULTURE-PRESUMPTIVE-ID-NON-SALMONELLA-SHIGELLA

CPT 87046: Aerobic Bacterial Stool Culture, Presumptive ID (non-Salmonella/Shigella)

CPT-87070-AEROBIC-CULTURE-ISOLATION-PRESUMPTIVE-IDENTIFICATION

CPT 87070: Aerobic Culture with Isolation and Presumptive Identification

CPT-87071-AEROBIC-QUANTITATIVE-BACTERIAL-CULTURE-NON-URINE-BLOOD-STOOL

CPT 87071: Quantitative Aerobic Bacterial Culture, Non-urine/blood/stool

CPT-87073-ANAEROBIC-CULTURE-NONBLOOD-NONURINE-NONSTOOL

CPT 87073: Anaerobic Culture, Non-Urine/Blood/Stool

CPT-87075-ANAEROBIC-CULTURE-IDENTIFICATION-NON-BLOOD-SPECIMEN

CPT 87075: Anaerobic Culture and Bacterial Identification (Nonblood)

CPT-87076-ANAEROBIC-ISOLATE-DEFINITIVE-IDENTIFICATION

CPT 87076: Anaerobic Isolate Identification to Species Level

CPT-87077-DEFINITIVE-IDENTIFICATION-AEROBIC-ISOLATE

CPT 87077: Definitive Identification of Aerobic Isolate

Showing 1–10 of 30

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
`87070`	Culture, bacterial; any other source except urine, blood or stool, aerobic, with isolation and presumptive identification of isolates	Performed for non-urine specimens and shares similar workflow for organism isolation and presumptive ID; used when urine is not the specimen.
`87086`	Culture, bacterial; urine, with isolation and presumptive identification of isolates	Often performed alongside or as an alternative to observation-based presumptive ID when full isolation and presumptive ID is billed for urine cultures.
`87088`	Observation, urine culture with unknown organism(s) and presumptive identification	The primary procedure described; used when a lab analyst observes and records presumptive IDs of unknown urinary organisms.
`87186`	Identification by molecular methods, each organism identified	May follow or replace presumptive identification when molecular methods are used for definitive organism identification.
`87181`	Identification, bacterial, biochemical or enzyme-based methods, each isolate	Used after isolation when biochemical testing is performed to identify organisms beyond presumptive observations.

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…
76	Modifier -76, Repeat Procedure or Service by Same Physician or Other Qualified Health Care Professional, is appended when the same provider performs an identical, medically necessary procedure or…	- Use modifier -76 when the same physician or other qualified health care professional performs an identical procedure or service a second (or subsequent) time on the same date of service and the…
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…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
103K00000X	Behavior Analyst	A behavior analyst is qualified by at least a master's degree and Behavior Analyst Certification Board certification and/or a state-issued credential …
213E00000X	Podiatrist	A podiatrist is a person qualified by a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.) degree, licensed by the state, and practicing within the scope of that l…
207K00000X	Allergy & Immunology Physician	An allergist-immunologist is trained in evaluation, physical and laboratory diagnosis, and management of disorders involving the immune system. Select…
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…
174400000X	Specialist	An individual educated and trained in an applied knowledge discipline used in the performance of work at a level requiring knowledge and skills beyond…
207XS0106X	Orthopaedic Hand Surgery Physician	An orthopaedic surgeon trained in the investigation, preservation and restoration by medical, surgical and rehabilitative means of all structures of t…
156FX1202X	Optometric Technician	An optometric technician assists optometrists by performing duties, including but not limited to, basic eye testing, diagnostic tests, and assistance …
1835P1400X	Pain Management Pharmacist	A licensed pharmacist who has demonstrated specialized knowledge and skills, providing integrated, comprehensive, and accessible healthcare services t…

Related Payer Policy Updates

Specialty: Infectious Disease1 / 3

10 rows

Policy	Payer	Effective Date
B-Hemolytic Streptococcus Testing	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) — Coverage Criteria for Testing and Resistance Assays	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Hepatitis Testing (A, B, C, D) Coverage Criteria	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Pathogen Panel Testing	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Lyme Disease Testing Coverage Criteria	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Diagnostic Testing of Common Sexually Transmitted Infections	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Testing for Diagnosis of Active or Latent Tuberculosis	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Coronavirus Testing in the Outpatient Setting	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Testing for Vector-Borne Infections	Oscar Health	2026-10-01
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)	blue cross blue shield - louisiana	2026-09-15

CPT 87086: Urine Culture with Quantitative Colony Count

CPT-87040-BLOOD-CULTURE-ISOLATION-PRESUMPTIVE-IDENTIFICATION

CPT 87040: Blood Bacterial Culture with Isolation and Presumptive ID

CPT-87045-AEROBIC-BACTERIAL-STOOL-CULTURE-SALMONELLA-SHIGELLA

CPT 87045: Aerobic Bacterial Stool Culture for Salmonella/Shigella

CPT-87046-AEROBIC-BACTERIAL-STOOL-CULTURE-PRESUMPTIVE-ID-NON-SALMONELLA-SHIGELLA

CPT 87046: Aerobic Bacterial Stool Culture, Presumptive ID (non-Salmonella/Shigella)

CPT-87070-AEROBIC-CULTURE-ISOLATION-PRESUMPTIVE-IDENTIFICATION

CPT 87070: Aerobic Culture with Isolation and Presumptive Identification

CPT-87071-AEROBIC-QUANTITATIVE-BACTERIAL-CULTURE-NON-URINE-BLOOD-STOOL

CPT 87071: Quantitative Aerobic Bacterial Culture, Non-urine/blood/stool

CPT-87073-ANAEROBIC-CULTURE-NONBLOOD-NONURINE-NONSTOOL

CPT 87073: Anaerobic Culture, Non-Urine/Blood/Stool

CPT-87075-ANAEROBIC-CULTURE-IDENTIFICATION-NON-BLOOD-SPECIMEN

CPT 87075: Anaerobic Culture and Bacterial Identification (Nonblood)

CPT-87076-ANAEROBIC-ISOLATE-DEFINITIVE-IDENTIFICATION

CPT 87076: Anaerobic Isolate Identification to Species Level

CPT-87077-DEFINITIVE-IDENTIFICATION-AEROBIC-ISOLATE

CPT 87077: Definitive Identification of Aerobic Isolate

Showing 1–10 of 30

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 87088: Urine Culture Presumptive Organism Identification

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OpenPayer

CPT 87088: Urine Culture Presumptive Organism Identification

Sign up for cpt 87088 policy alerts

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Payer Policy Updates

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Payer Policy Updates

Related Codes

References

CPT 87088: Urine Culture Presumptive Organism Identification

Sign up for cpt 87088 policy alerts

CPT 87088: Urine Culture Presumptive Organism Identification

Sign up for cpt 87088 policy alerts

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Payer Policy Updates

Related Codes

What does CPT 87088 represent?

Where is the 87088 service typically performed and who performs it?

How does CPT 87088 relate to other microbiology CPT codes like 87086, 87070, 87186, or 87181?

What diagnoses or clinical situations commonly lead to use of 87088?

What documentation is associated with a CPT 87088 service?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Payer Policy Updates

Related Codes

What does CPT 87088 represent?

Where is the 87088 service typically performed and who performs it?

How does CPT 87088 relate to other microbiology CPT codes like 87086, 87070, 87186, or 87181?

What diagnoses or clinical situations commonly lead to use of 87088?

What documentation is associated with a CPT 87088 service?

References