Summary & Overview
CPT 87153: Nucleic Acid Sequencing for Organism Typing
CPT code 87153 designates nucleic acid sequencing analysis performed on a previously isolated and identified organism to provide more specific taxonomic categorization, such as typing to strain or subtype. Clinically, this service supports precise organism identification for epidemiology, outbreak investigation, antimicrobial stewardship, and research; operationally, it represents a specialized laboratory molecular diagnostic procedure carried out by trained laboratory personnel.
Key payers in the national analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The publication outlines how CPT code 87153 is used in laboratory billing across these major payers and provides context on clinical indications and typical sites of service.
Readers will find benchmarks for service utilization and payer coverage patterns where available, summaries of clinical and operational context for sequencing-based organism typing, and notes on billing considerations tied to the code description. Data not provided in the input are noted as unavailable. The content is intended for a national audience of laboratory managers, coding professionals, and policy analysts seeking a concise reference to the clinical role and billing identity of CPT code 87153.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 87153 describes a laboratory service in which a lab analyst performs analysis using nucleic acid sequencing methods on a previously isolated and identified organism to categorize the organism more specifically, such as to the taxonomic level of type. This service is a molecular sequencing-based organism characterization performed on cultured isolates or previously identified specimens.
Service type: Microbiology / Molecular Diagnostic Sequencing
Typical site of service: Clinical laboratory or hospital pathology laboratory
Data not available in the input.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 54-year-old patient presents to an outpatient infectious disease clinic after a bloodstream infection yielded a bacterial isolate in culture. The isolate has been identified at the genus level by routine methods, and the clinician requests nucleic acid sequencing to determine the organism at the type or strain level to guide epidemiology and targeted therapy. The clinical workflow begins with the laboratory receipt of the previously isolated and identified organism (from culture material). A molecular technologist performs nucleic acid extraction and sequencing (for example, Sanger or next-generation sequencing) targeted to organism-specific genes or whole-genome sequencing. Results are interpreted by the lab analyst, incorporated into the microbiology report, and communicated to the ordering infectious disease physician. Typical sites of service include hospital clinical laboratories, reference laboratories, and academic or public health laboratory facilities.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
11 | Normal or usual services rendered by the physician | Use when the sequencing service is performed under routine circumstances without unusual factors |
22 | Increased procedural services |