Exercise Testing

I work in an outpatient clinic and we are starting a program for youth athletes looking to increase their performance. We will be performing VO2 max tests accompanied by blood lactate sampling using a Nova Biomedical handheld device to help develop training zones. This testing will be performed as part of a separate service from clinic, so it will be paid out of pocket by the patient.

Currently we are going through the process of getting this sort of testing approved in our clinic, and one of our topics to be addressed is billing. My question is does anyone have knowledge of which CPT codes should be used? And for lactate threshold testing in particular?

Benjamin: There is no CPT code for lactate threshold testing. There is a CPT code for lactate measured in the hospital's chemistry lab using whole blood. A CPT code would only be important if you were going to charge insurance. Individuals will be paying for this testing out of pocket. Most institutions have internal procedure codes that are linked to CPT codes (as appropriate), but in the case of testing that will always be self pay you would likely not want to assign any CPT codes.