Summary & Overview
CPT 87102: Fungal Culture and Basic Identification of Non-Blood Specimens
CPT code 87102 represents a laboratory fungal culture performed on specimens other than blood, skin, hair, or nail, with identification of any isolated fungus to the least specific level (for example, genus). This code captures routine mycological culture work that supports diagnosis and management of fungal infections across clinical settings. Nationally, accurate coding for fungal cultures affects laboratory billing, epidemiologic surveillance, and tracking of mycologic diagnostic utilization.
Key payers included in this overview are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise explanation of the clinical service represented by the code, typical sites of service, and the common modifiers associated with laboratory billing for this service. The publication outlines what to expect in billing practice: how the service is categorized, where it is commonly performed, and which payers are part of the coverage landscape. It also summarizes available benchmarks and policy context when present and otherwise notes where input data is not available. This summary is intended for coding professionals, laboratory managers, and policy analysts seeking a national-level briefing on CPT code 87102.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 87102 describes a laboratory procedure in which a lab analyst performs a culture for fungi using material from any source except blood, skin, hair, or nail, and identifies any isolated fungus to the least specific level, such as genus. This service is a mycological culture with basic fungal identification.
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Service type: Laboratory microbiology service focused on fungal culture and identification
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Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or pathology laboratory; specimen collection may occur in outpatient clinics, inpatient settings, or other sites where non-blood, non-skin, non-hair, non-nail specimens are obtained
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is a 45-year-old outpatient who presents to an ambulatory clinic or dermatology/infectious disease clinic with persistent, non-healing skin or mucosal lesions, refractory nail dystrophy, or chronic sinusitis where a fungal etiology is suspected. The clinician collects a non-blood specimen (for example: sputum, tissue biopsy, vaginal swab, nail clippings, ear discharge, or wound swab) and sends it to the clinical microbiology laboratory. In the laboratory, a medical technologist or mycologist performs a fungal culture using the submitted material, incubates on appropriate media, observes growth characteristics, and carries out macroscopic and microscopic identification to the least specific level (often genus). Results are reported to the ordering clinician, who integrates the identification with clinical findings and antifungal susceptibility testing if performed. Typical sites of service include outpatient clinic offices, urgent care centers, hospital outpatient labs, and independent clinical laboratories performing mycology culture and identification services.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when billing only the professional interpretation or identification component performed by a pathologist or laboratory physician. |
TC |