CPT® Code 80503

Pathology clinical consultation; for a clinical problem, with limited review of patient's history and medical records and straightforward medical decision making

When using time for code selection, 5-20 minutes of total time is spent on the date of the consultation.

A clinical pathology consultation with a limited review is a specialized service provided by a pathologist aimed at delivering additional interpretive evaluation of one or more pathology or laboratory test results. This consultation may also involve offering further medical judgment regarding other pertinent clinical or diagnostic information. During this process, the pathologist is supplied with the patient's diagnosis and conducts a limited review of the patient's medical history and records. The request for such a consultation can originate from a physician or another qualified healthcare professional and typically pertains to pathology or laboratory test results, radiology findings, operative notes, or other clinical data that may fall outside of expected parameters or necessitate further medical interpretation. At the conclusion of the review, the consulting pathologist generates a written report detailing the findings. The total time allocated for this limited review consultation ranges from 5 to 20 minutes, and either the total time spent or the level of straightforward decision-making can be utilized for the selection of the appropriate code.