Date of Service for Laboratory Specimens

Remember when submitting claims that the general rule is that the date of service is the date the specimen is collected. Where a specimen is collected over a period that spans two calendar days, the date of service is the date the collection period ended.

The current Date of Service (DOS) policy allows an exception to the general rule for tests performed on an archived specimen. If a specimen was stored for more than 30 calendar days before testing (otherwise known as Òan archived specimenÓ), the DOS of the test must be the date that the specimen was obtained from storage.

Under the revised DOS policy for laboratory specimens, the General Rule is that the DOS of the test must be the date the specimen was collected. However, there is a variation: If a specimen is collected over a period that spans two calendar days, then the DOS must be the date the collection ended.

The following exceptions apply to the DOS policy for laboratory tests:

DOS for Tests Performed on Stored Specimens:

In the case of a test performed on a stored specimen, if a specimen was stored for less than or equal to 30 calendar days from the date it was collected, the DOS of the test must be the date the test was performed only if:

• The test is ordered by the patientÕs physician at least 14 days following the date of the patientÕs discharge from the hospital;
• The specimen was collected while the patient was undergoing a hospital surgical procedure;
• It would be medically inappropriate to have collected the sample other than during the hospital procedure for which the patient was admitted;
• The results of the test do not guide treatment provided during the hospital stay; and
• The test was reasonable and medically necessary for treatment of an illness.

Note: If the specimen was stored for more than 30 calendar days before testing, the specimen is considered to have been archived, and the DOS of the test must be the date the specimen was obtained from storage.

DOS for Chemotherapy Sensitivity Tests Performed on Live Tissue:

In the case of a chemotherapy sensitivity test performed on live tissue, the DOS of the test must be the date the test was performed only if:

• The decision regarding the specific chemotherapeutic agents to test is made at least 14 days after discharge;
• The specimen was collected while the patient was undergoing a hospital surgical procedure;
• It would be medically inappropriate to have collected the sample other than during the hospital procedure for which the patient was admitted;
• The results of the test do not guide treatment provided during the hospital stay; and
• The test was reasonable and medically necessary for treatment of an illness.

Note: For purposes of applying the above exception, a “chemotherapy sensitivity test” is defined as a test that requires a fresh tissue sample to test the sensitivity of tumor cells to various chemotherapeutic agents.