After careful selection and testing of bone marrow donors, a potential candidate was found for a patient with severe leukemia. The physician collected a small sample of the potential donor's bone marrow via aspiration technique. This sample was then sent to pathology to determine whether or not it would be a match for the patient's bone marrow. What is the correct code for the procedure performed by the physician?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct code for the procedure performed by the physician is 38220 (Bone Marrow; Aspiration Only). This is the appropriate code because the physician was not harvesting the marrow from the donor. Harvesting codes, such as 38230 and 38232 are only used when the bone marrow is harvested in large amounts in order to transplant the marrow into the patient. In this case, the physician was only aspirating a small sample to test (to see if the donor and the patient were matches).

After Careful Selection and Testing of Bone Marrow Donors, a Potential