Liver Function Tests (LFTs) are vital for evaluating the health of your liver. They’re key to finding liver damage or disease, and there are specific LFT CPT codes used for billing and tracking them.
These codes are part of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) system. Understanding both the tests and the CPT code LFT system is important.
Understanding LFT CPT Codes
If you’ve ever puzzled over a medical bill, you may have noticed the five-digit codes used for each procedure. Those are CPT codes, and they’re there to make sure healthcare providers are reimbursed appropriately.
There are specific CPT codes for each individual test within a liver panel. The Hepatic Function Panel itself also has its own CPT code.
Hepatic Function Panel: What it measures
A Hepatic Function Panel (or liver panel) looks at the levels of certain enzymes and substances in your blood. These measurements can provide insights into the health of your liver.
Key components of the panel
A liver panel typically includes these analytes:
- ALT (Alanine aminotransferase)
- AST (Aspartate aminotransferase)
- ALP (Alkaline phosphatase)
- Bilirubin
ALT is usually a more specific indicator of liver injury than AST.
Clinical uses
The Hepatic Function Panel is a valuable tool for assessing potential liver damage, diagnosing liver diseases, and monitoring the effectiveness of treatments for liver conditions.
Factors Affecting LFT Results and Specimen Handling
Several factors can skew the results of liver function tests, so it’s important to consider these when interpreting the results.
Medication Interference
Certain medications, such as STRENSIQ, can interfere with LFT assays, leading to falsely high results. If you’re taking STRENSIQ, your doctor may want to use an alternative testing method to get a clearer picture of your liver function.
Specimen Collection and Handling
For the most accurate results, the preferred specimen is 1 mL of serum. The sample can be kept at room temperature for up to 24 hours or refrigerated for up to 72 hours. Freezing the specimen will make it unusable.
Also, a hemolyzed sample will be rejected from testing.
How to boost your online presence with LFT CPT codes
For healthcare providers, incorporating LFT CPT codes into your online content can help you be found more easily by potential patients. Here are a few ideas:
- Conduct keyword research to see what patients are searching for.
- Create high-quality content around those keywords.
- Optimize your website meta tags to include relevant LFT CPT codes.
- Utilize online directories and listings to increase visibility and credibility.
These strategies can help you improve your search engine rankings and attract more patients seeking liver function tests.
Key Takeaways
Understanding both the CPT codes for liver function tests and the clinical aspects of these tests is essential. Accurate coding is vital for medical billing, and it has potential for online optimization.
As healthcare evolves and increasingly incorporates digital tools like AI and machine learning, LFT CPT codes will continue to play a vital role.