When re-testing Covid-19 specimens to check for variants, Medicare has indicated you may bill U0004 for the second-run test.
For example, if a specimen tests positive, you may run the sample again to check for variants and bill U0004 (Covid-19 test using high-throughput technology) with a quantity of two. The accompanying diagnosis code must be for a positive Covid-19 result.
The variant test would only need to be run once for a positive sample. If the patient remains positive when they are later retested, that sample would not need to be re-tested for variants since the previous test determined whether a variant existed or not.
If you have additional questions surrounding billing for Covid-19 variant testing, feel free to reach out to us directly at 517-486-4262.