I agree with Marjorie.

Karla Carson HT/HTL (ASCP)
Regional Pathology Supervisor
Mercy Health Care Sacramento
916-453-4494
e-mail kcarson@chw.edu <mailto:kcarson@chw.edu>

		-----Original Message-----
		From:	Hagerty, Marjorie A. [mailto:mhagerty@emc.org]
		Sent:	Tuesday, December 14, 1999 10:59 AM
		To:	'johnsom@shmc.org'; 'HistoNet Server' (E-mail)
		Subject:	RE: Billing Special Stains under CPT Codes
88312 & 88313

		Mickie,

		We take it literally and bill micro-organisms under 88312
and all other
		stains except immunos and cytochemical stains under 88313.

		I think the CPT code book makes it clear that even the
silver stains should
		be billed under 88312.

		Good luck.
		Marg

		Marjorie Hagerty, H.T.(ASCP)H.T.L., Q IHC
		Supervisor, Anatomic Pathology
		Eisenhower Medical Center
		39-000 Bob Hope Drive
		Rancho Mirage, CA 92270



		-----Original Message-----
		From: johnsom@shmc.org [mailto:johnsom@shmc.org]
		Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 1999 10:23 AM
		To: 'HistoNet Server' (E-mail)
		Subject: Billing Special Stains under CPT Codes 88312 &
88313


		Hi Everyone,
		Hope your holidays have been great!

		I have a question about which special stains can be billed
out on CPT codes
		88312 and 88313.  The CPT code book gives a couple of
examples of stains for
		each CPT code, with the examples for 88312 being stains for
organisms.  I
		have talked with a couple of labs, each of which interprets
things
		differently.  One bills out all organism stains under 88312
and all the
		other stains under 88313. The other lab (as I do) bills out
simple stains
		under 88312 including PAS, Iron and mucicarminei, and uses
88313 for all
		complex or expensive stains including Trichrome, Dieterle,
Steiner, GMS,
		etc.  I can find no list of special stains in the spt code
book and which
		code to use for each.  In these times of Medicare fraud
being prosecuted so
		much and fines so high, everyone is paranoid about these
types of billing
		issues for Medicare billing in particular.

		Any help anyone can provide would be appreciated.  I will be
glad to share
		the answers with all histonet subscribers.

		Thanks so much.

		Mickie

		Michael L Johnson, BS, HTL(ASCP)
		Histology Supervisor
		Department of Pathology
		Sacred Heart Medical Center
		W. 101 8th Avenue
		Spokane, WA 99220

		(509) 474-4418
		johnsom@shmc.org