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Question: The lab performed an ELISA test for glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody on a serum specimen, but I can’t find a CPT^® code for the procedure. Should I use 83516?

Arkansas Subscriber

Answer: Labs perform an ELISA, or enzyme-linked immunoassay, test to find antibodies in the blood. One such antibody is the glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibody, found in the islet cells of the pancreas. This is where the body produces insulin. When GAD antibodies begin to destroy the cells, the body’s ability to produce insulin begins to degrade. So, the test provides an early indication that an individual is developing type 1, or insulin-dependent, diabetes.

Because this ELISA test is looking for a specific antibody, 83516 (Immunoassay for analyte other than infectious agent antibody or infectious agent antigen; qualitative or semiquantitative, multiple step method) would not be the appropriate code to report it. This code is more appropriate for reporting an immunoassay test for an unlisted antibody.

Instead, as the test is looking for a specific antibody in the islet cell, the correct code to use would be 86341 (Islet cell antibody) as the descriptor states.

Bruce Pegg, BA, MA, CPC, CFPC, Managing Editor, AAPC