Summary & Overview
CPT 87183: Detection of Carbapenem Resistance Genes, Per Isolate
CPT code 87183 designates a laboratory molecular diagnostic procedure that detects carbapenem resistance genes in organisms grown from patient specimens using an amplified probe technique. This testing identifies specific resistance determinants such as blaKPC, blaNDM, blaVIM, blaOXA-48, and blaIMP and is reported per isolate. The code is important nationally because detection of carbapenemase genes informs infection control, antimicrobial stewardship, and public health surveillance efforts tied to multidrug-resistant gram-negative infections.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find clinical context about the test’s role in identifying carbapenem resistance, expected service setting (clinical or hospital laboratory), and operational considerations tied to reporting per isolate. The publication also summarizes benchmarks and policy-relevant topics such as reimbursement considerations across major payers, coding guidance for laboratory reporting, and intersections with antimicrobial resistance monitoring. Where specific payer policies or code pairings are not provided in the input, the text notes that those data are not available in the input.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 87183 describes a laboratory molecular test performed by a lab analyst to detect carbapenem resistance genes in an organism grown in culture from a patient specimen. The method uses an amplified probe technique to identify specific gene sequences such as blaKPC, blaNDM, blaVIM, blaOXA-48, or blaIMP. Results are reported per isolate and indicate whether the cultured organism carries genetic markers that confer resistance to carbapenem antibiotics.
Service Type: Laboratory molecular diagnostic testing — detection of antimicrobial resistance genes
Typical Site of Service: Clinical microbiology laboratory or hospital laboratory
Data not available in the input.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A hospitalized adult patient with a prior positive bacterial culture from blood or urine grows a Gram-negative organism suspected of carbapenem resistance. The hospital microbiology laboratory subcultures the isolate and performs molecular testing to detect carbapenemase genes. A clinical workflow: the specimen is collected and cultured; if growth suggests Enterobacterales or other Gram-negative bacilli with decreased susceptibility to carbapenems on initial susceptibility testing, the lab technologist selects molecular testing. The lab analyst performs an amplified probe assay to detect genes such as blaKPC, blaNDM, blaVIM, blaOXA-48, or blaIMP. Results are reported per isolate and routed to the treating infectious disease physician and infection prevention team for surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship. Typical sites of service include the hospital microbiology laboratory, reference laboratory, or large outpatient diagnostic laboratory. Typical patient scenarios include bloodstream infection, complicated urinary tract infection, ventilator-associated pneumonia, or colonization screening in an outbreak setting where rapid identification of carbapenemase genes guides infection control and epidemiologic tracking.
Coding Specifications
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